The great escape!

Marigold (furthest away in this picture)

Marigold after the last race - all the sails down except the mainsail - there are normally another 5.

Just back from 4 days of crewing on a 22m, 1892 gaff rigg (aurique en Francais) racing yacht called 'Marigold' in the Marseille Vieux Port regatta. It was an amazing experience. Marigold is a beautifully restored wooden built boat with cotton sails, laid ropes and rigging and no winches. She was restored about twenty years ago and Jason, who I go skiing with, has been the skipper for the last 15 years or so. He invited Ian and I to help crew her and we both jumped at the chance even though we both suffer from seasickness. In fact this wasn't a problem and neither of us had any problems. Everyday there was a race on a different course around the islands off Marseille. Normally there were 8 of us sailing the ship (though a few more people joined in on Sunday). Marigold weighs well over 30 tons, but with 250 sqm of sail, in a good wind she really moves. It was amazing when the wind got up, to feel the power of the boat as she lent over at 40 degrees and sped along.

The races where against similar wooden gaff rigg boats but with a huge variety of ages (some from as recently as the 1940s) - marigold was about the oldest and the only boat with cotton sails and all original features, but apart from the day when the wind was very light, she is very competitive and we got a first and second place.

We slept onboard every night but on Saturday night it was the fete des musiques in France. We wandered into the Quartier des Paniers of Marseille and partied until the early hours to a huge selection of music from Marseille's multi-cultural population, with every street and square providing a different sound (and taste as nearly every house had a table outside and was selling some home made food or other). Ian and I managed to stay on until the end of the last race of the Regatta before a zodiac (an inflatable speedboat) came to collect us at the finishing line. A mad jump from one boat to the other and we were whisked back to Marseille just in time for the train home.

Meanwhile, the day I left for Marseille my sheep decided to make a break for freedom! They managed to escape from the field and find their way to Aleu village, and then the next day up onto Joubac - the nearest 'mountain'. John (my neighbour) came to the rescue and managed to track them down and somehow to herd them back into one of my fields before my return yesterday. Una, Tara and Jeanie are looking pretty sheepish today. The hay has dried whilst I've been away and I spent most of the day putting it back into 4 haycocks.