July ends with a bang and Dolphins

Sorry still no photos.

20th July We have now got to Ville Franche, which is a picture post card perfect waterside harbour village, in the same sort of way as Foye is. The only big news is that Sienna, had her first go at swimming a few days ago, with out armbands, she managed to swim a couple of meters before going under. she did this three days before her third birthday, which is earlier than the other girls.
21st July
Anchoring in Ville Franche bay is quite strange,as it is so crowded, there are two cruise liners, and about 100 motor boats plus a few yachts. Around six o'clock the liners have disappeared, and the 99 of the motor boats have gone, leaving an nice quiet anchorage.
We are having a nice quiet dinner, when a huge firework goes off near by,which makes me jump out of my skin as it was so unexpected. There then follows a spectacular fireworks display that wakes the girls and echo's all around the steep walls of the anchorage, we have prime seats without even realising its going to happen.
22nd July
Big wind, boats dragging anchor, we are sitting at anchor, but have a huge ugly red steel trimaran, with very pointy bows behind. We move the boat, and spend a few anxious moments as the anchor windlass fails to work, at the critical moment. A quick rummage around fuses and very little understanding of the french technical terms does help very much, we miss the Trimaran and another cruiser by a couple off feet. A little close for comfort, but manage to re-anchor.
We totally run out of Gas a few days ago. Not even the BBQ works, the spare tank Jim and Graine swapped from a big one to a small one when they were out,(thanks guys) lasts for approximately one kettle full.
I then spend ages trying to find gas, which the guide book assures me is readily available, except when we need it. After a cold few meals moral is getting Rather low. I nip ashore and get take away pizza. It tastes great.
24th
We get gas,at last, but the gas adaptor breaks, I am beginning to loose my cool. Need to sail to the next port about 10nm away.It is around Cap Ferrat It is called Beaulieu. We have a great anchorage,and a lovely day if quite wind day at anchor, the wind is forecast to be light from the west at night so we are well protected.
We see the Maltease Falcon sail by with all her sails up which is a great sight, she then rolls all her sails and joins us in the bay with a whole host of other boats. The wind dies off and I am just about to put a few prawns on our now gassed up bbq, when the wind swings to the east, and starts to build very rapidly to 25-30 knots, we like all the other boats are on a lee shore and its starting to get dark.Boats start to move some voluntary, the one next to us drags anchor. Time to go. So we end up going back round Cap Ferrat in huge seas and wind, the light house looks very different at night, arrive back in Ville Franche about midnight. So anyway thats our first night passage.
26th.
Up at 5am, up anchor 5.30 just as the first light is rising,(How the girls sleep through the windlass, especially Imy as it is right next to her bed, I don't know) and motor out towards Corsica, 95 nm miles away. Beautiful sunrise, just Sophie and I awake, flat calm sea, no wind.
10.30 Dolphins, 5 of them including a baby, swimming around the boat, I am not sure who is most excited Sophie, me or the girls. These are the first Dolphins of our voyage and it is a great moment. All of use up on the trampoline bouncing around looking at these great creatures. We see a further 7 dolphin on the trip across. A great day. The trip itself takes just under 13 hours, and for the last four hours we have great wind, and cruise as 8.5 knots. This is our first real big trip when you loose total view of the land, and it is a relief to see land where it should be and then come into the anchorage at Calvi.

A Gaffer called,Annelise with and English ensign and Falmouth registration is anchored right in front of us, they have some fags flying, Imogen get the flag book out, and deciphers the flags as saying 8 today.
27th July
We meet team Gaffer Annelise at the harbour office and agree our boats must be very different and say lets meet up later.
That afternoon a new set of flags go up on the Gaffer, spelling COME4T. So we go over and meet the Paul, Jo, their kids Anna13 , Josh 12 and Maddy(just 8). We all have a great time on the gaffer, and learn allot about how she is rigged and all the sails that they can use. The boat has that loverly cosy feeling that our rather plastic caravan just does have. The insides we built with wood from a Methodist church, so we were sitting on former pews and the hand rails were former alter rails.
Later they all come back to our boat and I think Paul & Jo were quite surprised at our layout and set up, as it was so different and they had never been on a catamaran. Young Josh goes up the mast and changes the mast head light for us, as both Sophie and I do not have a head for heights.
Our first sailing friends for the kids.
The other bright side, is that Calvi is a great place, which we were just not expecting it but the town is lovely much less glitzy than the French mainland, a Little more real,and there is a huge long beach, the water is crystal clear and is about 26 degrees which is warmer than the air in the UK I am reliably informed.
28th July
More flags to read, CULATERWB C U Later WB(Windbelle) and the Gaffer is off around the Island of Corsica the other way, so we may see them at the bottom.
The only slight issue is that we seem to be expecting big wind from the west for the next few days.Most of the places we want to go are exposed to the west so we will have to see.