Dunkerque – Boulogne-sur-Mer 44,4 nm
„The alarm clock rings again at 6.30 am and with a „pyjama start“, i.e. without breakfast, we set sail at 7 am. The sky is gray and overcast, but the wind is coming from the right direction and at the right strength. The tide is running with us and it will be a fast crossing to Boulogne sur Mer.“
Oh no, the trip report from 2007 doesn’t really fit! We get up at 6 o’clock in the morning. But it’s a pyjama start this time too. The sky is only slightly cloudy, later clearing and sunny. The tide is going well, but the wind is not really right. The forecast 5-10 kn from the west unfortunately increases to 15-18 kn from the west, which in combination with wind against tide from Cap Gris Nez leads to a very rough sea. But we made good time and arrived in Boulogne sur Mer at lunchtime.
At the harbor, we are initially allocated a spot that is far too small. But thanks to a Belgian sailing yacht, which moves to the small space for us (where, at 10 m long, it fits much better than we do), we are finally able to go alongside on jetty D at the head jetty. It could almost be the same jetty as on our last visit. Unfortunately, we don’t remember exactly. After the fishermen gave us a restless night on our last visit to Boulogne-sur-Mer, this time the noise starts in the afternoon. A funfair with numerous rides has been set up right next to the marina. Music blares from left, right and front. Plus the typical announcer slogans with a pronounced emphasis on words. Well, this is going to be fun! Somehow we have to get through it, because the weather will be against us until at least Saturday. Fortunately, what we remember very positively is still there. Directly opposite, there is one fish stall after another and a great selection of fish and seafood. For the evening, we buy a few oysters for 1.20 euros each and fat prawns, along with a fresh baguette. A short stroll along the promenade takes us to a mini golf course that we really want to try out. However, it’s far too crowded for us today. Back on board, we enjoy the party atmosphere in the background and the relative peace and quiet in the cockpit. We find it a little disconcerting that large stones and boulders suddenly appear quite close to our bow as the tide goes out. However, La Ola is still floating well in the water, so we just have to keep in mind not to go too far out at low tide. After the rough sea today, we don’t get old and in the end we even overhear the shrieking of the carousels.
Even though the fairground noise below deck is fortunately barely audible, it is a restless night. As the water rises and the wind picks up, it gets really restless in the harbor around 3 am. Our Belgian side berth rolls and wobbles like crazy and repeatedly jerks hard into the lines. La Ola is actually lying very calmly, but the jolting is transmitted and so we get up in the middle of the night and try to improve the situation together. A fender, clamped between the stern line of our neighbor, then brings a significant improvement and calm in the ship. Lucky finds the whole thing very exciting and watches our actions from the cockpit, purring loudly and with interest. The fishermen who kept us awake at night in 2007 are not out and about this time. Apparently the weather outside is too bad even for them. The fishing fleet stays in the harbor. The morning begins gray and rainy. It’s a good thing I have an office day today anyway. So I can sit comfortably below deck in front of my screen and have some conversations. After work, we walk to the Carrefour supermarket around the corner in beautiful sunny weather with our on-board Porsche „Hacki“. Contrary to our expectations, the Carrefour is one of the older ones and doesn’t offer the shipping paradise we had hoped for. But of course we still get everything we have on our shopping list. Afterwards, we pay a visit to the local boat chandlery, but leave the store without buying anything. We then take a stroll around the fair, which is mainly made up of stalls with sweets, stalls with slot machines and stalls with lotteries and shooting galleries. Not really our thing, so we are quickly back on board.
The next day, the weather is much better again, so we start our „mini-golf“ mission. The small course next to the aquarium is still completely empty, so we have the first few holes all to ourselves. However, we are sobered to realize that we have probably overestimated our mini-golf skills! We only manage the fewest holes and come away from the course with miserable results. The course must have been too difficult for us after all. To cheer us up, Axel treats himself to a large soft ice cream and we set off – at least that’s what we think – on the shortest route to the historic old town. We climb a steep flight of stairs and are surprised that we have ended up in a run-down working-class district. Unfortunately, a look at Google Maps makes us realize that we’ve walked completely the wrong way. So first we walk back down the hill and then up the next hill again with a lot of effort and sweating in the summer temperatures. At the end, we reach the old fortress and walk through a beautifully landscaped park in honor of Auguste Mariette. He was apparently an Egyptologist and a few pyramids have been placed in the park in his honor. We continue into the old town, along the Notre Dame Basilica and through the lively alleyways. A very pretty open-air museum with paintings by van Gogh, Matisse & Co. awaits us at the town hall. We walk around the entire complex on the old fortress wall and then make our way back down the hill to the harbor. The route takes us through the city center, which is much busier today than on our first tour. The Fete de la Mer is celebrated with music and many stalls selling regional specialties. Back on board, we enjoy the late afternoon sunbathing on the roof terrace and watching the harbor cinema. One boat after another arrives and the harbour master has his hands full trying to find a berth for everyone. We also get a berth next door and inform him that we want to leave early the next morning. As the alarm clock is set for 5:30 a.m., it is a short evening and we are in our bunks early.
