La Rochelle, lying half way down the French Atlantic coast, is 350 nautical miles from Plymouth. For yachts sailing from Britain to Spain, it is the last French port which is accessible in all tidal and weather conditions. Most visiting English yachts use La Rochelle only as a stop-over port during a longer cruise. This is a pity as it lies at the centre of a very interesting cruising ground. Within a radius of 10 miles there are 3 picturesque islands and 2 river estuaries. They form part of the Charante-Maritime Region of France and are close to the famous vineyards of Cognac. Being south of the river Loire the summer weather tends to be much better than Brittany or Normandy. The offshore islands of Ile d'Oléron and Ile de Ré protect the waters round La Rochelle from the worst excesses of the Bay of Biscay.

We only had 13 days available for our cruising holiday this year and as La Rochelle is less than 300 miles by road from Cherbourg, it seemed to be an ideal trailing destination. The main disadvantage is that many harbours in the Charante-Maritime are only accessible close to high water. However, having to plan our breakfast according to the tide tables seemed a small price to pay for the prospect of better weather, exploring the smaller harbours, and sipping French wine.

Port des Minimes is a 3000 berth yacht marina about 1 mile from the ancient town of La Rochelle and little research was needed to confirm that it was the obvious place to launch 'Tiger Lily'. The threatened French lorry driver's blockades turned out to be non-event and within 20 hours of leaving home we were studying the large slipway at the northeast end of the marina. A mass of yachts were using the slipway to clean their hulls, but the tide was fast coming in and by the time we had erected the mast and made Tiger Lily ready, there was plenty of room to launch. The car and trailer were parked close by and suitably immobilised. Within 24 hours of leaving home we were safely moored on an empty pontoon enjoying a glass of French wine with our meal.

It is not wise to trail carrying cans of petrol and so the first job is always to buy petrol, local charts and provisions. We combined our shopping trip with a sightseeing walk to the old port of La Rochelle. The 'Vieux Port', guarded by the two towers of Saint Nicolas and La Chaine, is an impressive sight. Many of the shops seemed to be up- market and a rather expensive, but it was pleasant watching the boats from one of the pavement cafes which surround the harbour. Every 30 minutes the Water-Bus leaves to make the 10 minute journey back to the Port des Minimes (fare £1).

In summer the Ile d'Oléron, ten miles west of La Rochelle, is popular for camping. Most camp sites are on the west side of the island where the Atlantic swell breaks on the sandy beaches. However the east side of the island has 4 picturesque harbours, but non are accessible at or near low water, so it is necessary to plan one's arrival. We left Port des Minimes with plenty of time to spare, but lack of wind forced us to motor part of the way to St Denis d'Ol‚ron, the most northerly harbour. Here the sill carries 2m of water for 3 hours either side of high water, but once inside there is plenty of depth under the visitors pontoon. We had arranged to meet a friend who was camping on the island and after a couple of telephone calls soon established contact and agreed to meet for a sail the next day.

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