POSTCARD FROM LEONIE St Tropez Regatta
winter here though but luckily we were offered a mooring at the bigger Menton Garavan marina, about 10 minutes’ walk from the old town. Life here is pretty easy going. We
Six days were spent at Cavalaire
sheltering from another blow (a frequent occurrence in the Med in October). During our stay we caught a bus
to St Tropez for the town’s Classic Regatta. What a spectacle. Racing was cancelled because of the strong winds, although a handful of big gaffers went out. There were over 100 yachts in the
port and it was amazing to be able to see them at such close quarters. Many of them were over 80 years old including the classic racing yacht Marigold built in 1882 which had lost its top mast in the first day of racing. The Edwardian racing yacht Kelpie,
built in 1903, was also at the event. Local Dartmothians may remember the Alfred Mylne designed Solent 38- foot class yacht, as she was based on the River Dart for many years. We had a great time in St Tropez and good fun in a bar spotting all the women who have had facelifts and trout pouts walking past! After leaving Cavalaire we
continued along the Cote D’Azur, sailing past Cannes, Antibes, Nice and Monaco. Passing Monaco was amazing – you can’t fail to be captivated by all the super-yachts and skyscrapers all crammed into such a
small area. Before arriving at Menton, which
borders Italy, we anchored in a couple of small bays including the Bay of Villefranche where two huge cruise liners provided shelter from the uncomfortable swell rolling into the anchorage. Menton is a big town with a lovely old centre on the Italian border. monaco is five minutes away on the train and Nice about half-an-hour. On arriving at Menton we managed to secure a temporary mooring at the Vieux Port, a lovely marina right below the old town. There was no room for us to
Menton Garavan Marina (left) and Vieux Port (right)
enjoy strolling to the daily market in the old town to buy oranges fresh from the trees, chestnut honey, delicious breads, lovely fresh vegetables, French cheese and mouthwatering spitroast chickens. We also love walking in the mountains, which can be accessed by train or thrilling bus rides along windy steep roads which quickly rise to hundreds of feet above sea level. We have met a like-minded Scottish couple who recently moved here. They also enjoy mountain walking, sailing and French wine! As Menton is so near Nice Airport
we have been visited by friends and family who have flown over from England, which has been great. We plan to stay here until the end
of March after which we will head east to the Greek Ionian islands of Corfu, Cephalonia and Paxos via corsica and the coast of italy.•
Mountain village of Sospel
81
Porquerolles, Les Iles D’Or
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