Today has definitely been the sail of the season (so far). The course from Dieppe to Boulogne, across the Bay of the Somme, is about NNE and the wind was NW giving us a fast and powerful fetch. We also had fair tide all day.

The result was that we absolutely flew, covering the ground at well over 8 knots for most of the way. There was a bit more wind than forecast, and still quite a sea, left over from the even stronger winds of yesterday and the day before, but the way we were travelling, it was quite comfortable.

Also, there was unusually good visibility, and we could see the coastline all the way round the bay (except for the huge gap of the Somme estuary itself) – the first time that has been true in all the times we have crossed this stretch of water. And shortly before we reached Boulogne, we could even see England in the distance.

There were shower clouds around as we left, at 0700, but they managed to miss us, and by midday the sun was shining. We were moored in Boulogne by 1400 – a remarkable result for a 55-mile passage (we logged rather less thanks to the tide).

It was hot and sunny in Boulogne, and we were back in T-shirt order, still tidying up on deck, when the next boat came into the harbour – our friends Tom and Pam on Scorpion of Wyke,  for a long time our marina neighbours in Levington.