NAUGHTY CAT

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Last time we left Bekki and Gordon as they sailed to La Rochelle, the port where they purchased their Nautitech Open 40, Naughty Cat, back in October 2019. This month we catch up with the couple and their four cats as they stopover in La Rochelle before making their way to Spain.

We departed Bourgenay with clear skies and wind speeds of 10.2 knots. The wind direction was constantly changing so it was easier to manually steer the boat. With the Code Zero sail up we only maintained 5.5 knots due to the sea swell.

We could have tacked all the way down to La Rochelle, but we put the engines on after three hours as we needed to be there early in order to exchange our defective Navionics card at the boat show as previously agreed with the company we purchased it from in Les Sables d’Olonne.

There were many boats in the water around Port Minimes La Rochelle and we radioed in asking for permission to enter the marina. We were guided into a tight berth just outside the Capitainerie (marine office), between two enormous catamarans.

The Grand Pavois (boat show) was set up and open to the public, and although it was taking place just a few metres from our boat we had to walk right around the marina to get to the main entrance. We were fortunate that the Capitainerie gave us a couple of complimentary tickets to the show, which we decided to use the following day.

We got up early on Friday and walked to the show, although it was cold, windy and raining very hard. We had a list of things that we wanted to purchase but soon realised that the stalls had no stock. They were all merely displaying and advertising their goods, not physically selling anything, which was very disappointing.

We toured a 45ft Fountaine Pajot and were very impressed with the boat’s finish, but the English salesman explained that there was a four-year waiting list for a new one. We also visited the local Nautitech dealer and had a look around a new Nautitech Open 40. It was very nice as they had made several changes to the design, but we said that we still prefer the layout of Naughty Cat.

IN NEED OF A BROLLY The next day we took the water bus from the marina to the town as it was an extremely long walk. The town was very pretty with lots of lovely shops, restaurants, creperies and bars both along the waterfront and in the town centre.

There was a beautiful display of pink umbrellas suspended across the market square and appearing to float in the sky, which were representing Breast Cancer Awareness month. We walked to the area where all the chandleries were, clutching a list of spares we required, but unfortunately none of them had anything we needed. It was raining again and extremely windy and, by the time we got back, we were both very wet

The couple were excited to launch their new bright pink Asymmetric downwind sail for the first time

A beautiful display of pink umbrellas across the market square at La Rochelle

Gordon and Strawberry Shortcake

There was a special offer on that month (out of season) so we actually got four nights for the price of three. We both had a lot of jobs that we wanted to do anyway, so were able to make use of the extra time.

Gordon took out our cocktail cabinet to access the holding tank in order to unblock a small breather pipe and also polished the side of the boat. I arranged a home delivery of groceries to the marina from Carrefour and used the local laundry.

While there we chatted to other boat owners in the marina as it is always really useful to swap information and gain knowledge from others, especially those on similar adventures. During the really heavy downpours Gordon spent time playing his electric guitar too (yes, he did find space to bring one guitar and an amp with us).

FELINE CELEBRITIES As usual, our four fluffy felines attracted a lot of attention. The cats enjoy being minor celebrities and are always happy to pose for photographs, when requested by fellow sailors, as it breaks up their routine of sleeping, eating and grooming.

Our cat food supplies were running very low so during the evenings I spent a lot of time researching companies who provided BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) in Spain and Portugal. As the cats’ usual brand of food was not available in Western Europe, I needed to find a suitable alternative.

Eventually, after several emails, phone calls and conversations, I chose to use Puro Menu, a small Spanish company who sell frozen BARF products at reasonable prices and deliver throughout Spain and Portugal. This meant that the cats could eat a consistent diet for several months. I placed an online order for delivery in two weeks’ time to A Coruna, hoping that we would arrive there in time.

SAILING TO SPAIN With an immaculately clean, polished and maintained yacht, we departed La Rochelle and set sail for Royan. Sailing alongside a Dutch couple in a monohull called Alani, whom we had become friendly with in La Rochelle, Naughty Cat handled the large sea swell and made a good 7-8 knots with engines on and main sail up. The journey took nine hours.

We left Royan early the next morning, keen to get to Bilbao, Spain. This journey would take us a lot longer and meant that we would be travelling overnight, something that I do not really like doing.

The day was sunny and clear and the wind was averaging at 8 knots, so we travelled well and at one point had the Main, Jib and Gennaker sails up together. In the late afternoon we had a suitable wind and we were very excited to launch our new bright pink Asymmetric downwind sail for the first time.

Night fell and we were still sailing well. Then, at 21.35, we received an urgent call on the VHF radio from a fishing vessel asking us to change course as he was trawling in front of us. We tried to alter our course but as the downwind sail was on the opposite side, we had to furl it up first.

We changed direction to avoid being caught up in the fishing vessel’s nets and then opted not to put the Asymmetric sail up again as it was dark and we were going to start taking shifts at the helm.

This decision actually cost us about five hours and we arrived in Bilbao much later than planned at 11.45am but we had made it to Spain!

Naughty Cat moored at La Rochelle

Bekki and Gordon departed from Chatham Maritime Marina in September 2021 with their four cats, Diamond Dancer, Coffee Cupcake, Vanilla Cheesecake and Strawberry Shortcake, heading to the Mediterranean for the start of their adventure, which may last a year or more. For updates from Bekki and Gordon, follow Naughty Cat on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Naughty Cat Sailing), and you can also read regular up-dates about their adventure in All at Sea. www.facebook.com/NautitechOpen40