Towards

(Excerpts from Ship's Librarian, Rich Delbango)

Thursday, July 22nd
We lost sight of the northeast coast of Spain last night and are taking a diagonal track across the Bay of Biscay directly toward Brest. As I write this, we are some 16 hours away from docking. The ocean is rougher and much cooler here. The ship has chilled down to where I have to wear a light jacket in my cabin and the rest of the ship, except for the library which is a comfortable 78°.

The tours of France have been announced and I am going to register for two. I hope to get on Saturday's 18 hour tour to Normandy. It looks great. We'll be going to the battlegrounds, cemeteries and museums in the historic region. They are repeating it on Sunday, but I think I'd be too exhausted come Monday morning if I took that one. There will be a shorter (4 hour) tour to some of the coastal towns on Friday and Saturday. I'm going to try for that one for Friday. There is another 5 hour hiking tour that looks good, but I think I'll either try to get to the Celtic festival in Quimper (60 mi. south of Brest) or just see what there is to do in Brest.

We're already almost to our last port. After that it is 12 days for the crossing and we're home.

Wednesday, July 21st
We will arrive in Brest, France on Friday morning. We will be docked at the French Naval base there. For those of you who know little about our next port, here is a condensation of the fact sheet that I have written for the cadets and crew.

France's Brittany region is a distinct area on the country's northwest coast. It is a vast plateau of rocky, sandy soil and scrub trees. It has a rugged coastline with many bays, inlets, estuaries, capes and offshore islands dotted by numerous lighthouses. The area is populated by the Bretons, a Celtic people related more to the Irish and Welsh than the Gallic people of rest of France. While French is the official language, Breton, similar to Gaelic, is also spoken. Most names in the region arein Breton. Brittany was contested for centuries by the French and English and as such, there are many medieval castles and cathedrals located throughout the district. There are several cities in the region most notable being Rennes and Nantes, and many small, picturesque towns. Brittany is mainly agricultural, known especially for its apples used to make alcoholic cider. Fishing is also an important industry in a region that has such a long coastline along the Atlantic in the southwest and the English Channel in the north.

Brest is best known as the port of the French Navy's Atlantic fleet. Sited in a natural harbor on the Atlantic at the mouth of the Penfeld River, the city has a rich military history. Seized by the Germans in WWII and made the base of their submarine activities, Brest suffered severe damage by Allied bombing during the war. As such, most of the pre-war historic buildings were destroyed. Brest was re-built with modern, rather sterile, architecture giving it the reputation of "one of France's ugliest cities."

It is not without some charm. Its waterfront does have a few remainin gold buildings and museums as well as beautiful views across the bay of the Plougastel Peninsula. One of the City's oldest monuments is the Tour Tanguy, a 14th century lookout tower. Crossing the Penfeld River by thebridge next to the tower (the longest lift-bridge in Europe) takes one toBrest's medieval castle which houses the Musèe de la Marine, the navalmuseum. Nearby is the Musèe Municipal, an art museum displaying French, Flemish and Italian treasures from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Europe's largest aquarium is located in Brest at the futuristic Ocèanopolis center.
About 65 miles south of the city is the medieval village of Quimper. The village hosts the 9 day Celtic extravaganza, the Festival de Cornouaille, in mid-July. The town is also home to the beautiful, gothic Cathedrale St-Corentin, the 2nd largest cathedral in France. Next to the cathedralis the Musee des Beaux-Arts housing more than 400 works of art fromartists such as Rubens, Corot and Picasso. Quimber is known for its distinctive earthenware pottery.
Further south in what is considered to be the prettiest area of Brittanyis the town of Pont-Aven. It was made famous by the artist Paul Gauguin who established an artist's colony there. Still further south lays the village of Carnac, known for its beaches and the ancient stone monuments. The 6,500 year old monuments are contemporary to Stonehenge in England and are equally impressive.

The city of Nantes is at the southernmost corner of Brittany. It is the cultural center of the region. There are many historic building, museums and a cathedral here.
Northern Brittany, on the Channel coast, is full of many quaint fishing villages. To the east is the Channel port of St. Malo. Here ferries embark for England on a regular basis. Just east of St. Malo, in the southwest corner of Normandy is the famed Mt. St. Michel. This impressive fortress/monastery sits on a mount that is attached to the mainland at lowtide and becomes an island at high tide. The tides here are among the most extreme in the world, rising some 45' with the tide rushing in with a tidal bore.
Dinan, south of St. Malo is one of the best preserved medieval towns in France. There is a medieval festival held there the 3rd week of July that includes jousting, a market, parades and music.
In the easternmost section of Brittany is Rennes, the capital of the region. It is a mixture of medieval and 18th century architecture due to a fire which destroyed half the City in 1720. Sites here are theParlement de Bretagne, the Musèe de Bretagne and the Musèe de Beaux Arts.
It looks as if we will have a tour of Normandy, arranged by the College, on Saturday. This will be a very long tour, about 18 hours, and will take us to all of the historic landmarks in the neighboring region. Everyone is looking foreword to this. Several other shorter tours of Brittany are also being offered.

Monday, July 19th
As I write this we are passing through the Straits of Gibraltar out of the Mediterranean and out into the Atlantic. Africa is a couple miles off on our port, Europe off our starboard. These are the legendary Pillars of Hercules; Morocco's Atlas Mountains and the Rock of Gibraltar.
We were shrouded in fog for the early part of the day then it slowly lifted into a haze so that both of the Pillars were barely visible as we passed. As we enter the ocean there is a noticeable change. The waves are higher, the air and sea are cooler. The fog was caused by this cooler ocean water hitting the warm Mediterranean.
This is the fourth time that the Ship has gone through the Straits this year and twice last year. These have become very familiar waters for our cadets and crew. This area is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
As we turn north toward France, we've been warned to secure all of our belongings. We've gotten complacent with the Mediterranean's calm waters. It was like we were sailing on a lake for the last few weeks. TheAtlantic and especially the Bay of Biscay can be extremely unpredictable. We will see. On to Brest.