Our “clothing optional” anchorage west of Toulon

Yesterday we left Cannes with no wind for several hours so I had to motor sail until the the wind picked up, which it did after lunch, climbing to 12 knots for an hour or so and then jumping from 12 to 25 knots and holding steady between 25 and 30 knots all afternoon and evening. We decided to stop for the night at Hyeres. We anchored outside the entrance to the marina and this morning Robin and Lindsay took the dinghy over to get croissants for breakfast!

We had a nice surprise when Jacques-Francois on 5X #1 Addiction pulled into the anchorage about an hour after us. He came over in his dinghy to check out Wildling and we caught up a bit on cruising plans and how our boats are doing.

The forecast for today was NW winds 20 to 30 knots. Unfortunately we are trying to head NW (of course) but after so many days of light wind I wanted to go sailing, soI talked Robin into going out and see how far we got before it became too uncomfortable.

The forecast didn’t disappoint and pretty soon we were close hauled with reefed main punching into 2.5 meter waves that were quite short and steep. Wildling and I were having a blast, Robin and the kids not so much, so after a few hours of tacking to weather we decided to take refuge in the lee of a headland just west of Toulon and anchor for the night. A very nice anchorage complete with calm water, crystal clear snorkeling and a nudist beach! Something for everyone 🙂

A few few comments on sailing Wildling in “sporty” conditions:

– the self tacking jib is awesome! I was tacking constantly for about 4 hours today and it’s so nice to just turn the wheel and tack without dealing with lines. Yes I feel lazy!

– reefing is fast and easy

– Wildling’s motion in the steep waves was really easy, with none of the lurching, pounding and speed loss of our Catana. She just glides through the waves, very fun!

Tomorrow’s forecast is NW winds again 10 to 15 knots. We’re continuing west towards Marseille.