Today's journey was a tad longer than yesterday, as I'm in no rush I'm intending to take it steady. Before leaving I did want to see if I could track down that gite we had stayed at all those years ago. Carnac is not a huge place and I did manage to find it. I also found the beach where I had nearly drowned!
Carnac is famous as the site of more than 10,000 Neolithic standing stones, also known as menhirs. The stones were hewn from local rock and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany. Local tradition claims that the reason they stand in such perfectly straight lines is that they are a Roman legion turned to stone by Merlin (Brittany has its own local versions of the Arthurian cycle).
The Carnac stones were erected during the Neolithic period which lasted from around 4500 BC until 2000 BC. The precise date of the stones is difficult to ascertain as little dateable material has been found beneath them, but the site's main phase of activity is commonly attributed to c. 3300 BC. One interpretation of the site is that successive generations visited the site to erect a stone in honour of their ancestor.
Today's journey is 163 miles and will take me to the seaside town of Les Sables d'Orlonne. Translated this means the sands of D'Orlonne. During the summer this is a hugely popular resort town
The town is also famous for hosting the Vendee Globe, a single handed round the world yacht race which is held every four years. The race starts and finishes in Les Sables-d'Olonne, in the Vendée département of France; both Les Sables d’Olonne and the Vendée Conseil Général are official race sponsors. The course is essentially a circumnavigation along the clipper route: from Les Sables d’Olonne, down the Atlantic Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope; then clockwise around Antarctica, keeping Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn to port; then back to Les Sables d’Olonne. The race generally runs from November to February; and is timed to place the competitors in the Southern Ocean during the austral summer.
Additional waypoints may be set in the sailing instructions for a particular race, in order to ensure safety relative to ice conditions, etc. For example, in 2004, the racers had to pass north of the following flexible waypoints:
a gate south of South Africa, situated at 44° South, between 005° East and 014° East Heard Island
a gate to the South west of Australia, situated at 47° South, between 103° East and 113° East
a gate to the south east of Australia, situated at 52° South, between 136° East and 147° East
a gate in the Pacific Ocean, situated at 55° South, between 160° West and 149° West
a gate in the Pacific Ocean, situated at 55° South, between 126° West and 115° West
The competitors may stop at anchor, but may not draw alongside a quay or another vessel; they may receive no outside assistance, including customised weather or routing information. The only exception is that a competitor who has an early problem may return to the start for repairs and then restart the race, as long the restart is within 10 days of the official start.
The race presents significant challenges; most notably the severe wind and wave conditions in the Southern Ocean, the long unassisted duration of the race, and the fact that the course takes competitors far from the reach of any normal emergency response. A significant proportion of the entrants usually retire, and in the 1996-1997 race Canadian Gerry Roufs was lost at sea.
To mitigate the risks, competitors are required to undergo medical and survival courses. They must also be able to demonstrate prior racing experience; either a completed single-handed trans-oceanic race or the completion of a previous Vendée Globe. The qualifying race must have been completed on the same boat as the one the sailor will race in the Vendée Globe; or the competitor must complete an additional trans-oceanic observation passage, of not less than 2,500 miles (4,000 km), at an average speed of at least 7 knots (13 km/h), with his new boat. Since trans-ocean races typically have significant qualifying criteria of their own, any entrant to the Vendée Globe will have amassed substantial sailing experience.
Ellen MacArthur finished in second place in her boat Kingfisher in 2000/2001 at only 24 years of age.
The journey to Les Sables d'Orlonne was pretty straight forward. Intentionally missing out the motorways it took me through some spectacular western French countryside.
My lodgings for the night was once again a car park in the middle of town. During the summer there is a charge, something like 10 euros but this includes electricity. While the leccy is not available in the winter months the Aire is free. Once parked up I had a spot of lunch. French bread and cheese before heading to explore the town. The long promenade is full of French cafés and bistros. It was another glorious, cloud free day. I got back to the van just after 5:00 pm as the sun was starting to set. Dinner of bangers and mash, washed down with a nice South African red wine.
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