After a very long day in Antibes that included buying and attaching more anchor chain, measuring and marking it, and switching out the Delta for the Spade anchor after reading it should hold better, we motored past Nice to VilleFranche.

Once again we were not disappointed in the beauty surrounding us.  The forecast was looking bad and this is the largest natural harbor that would protect us from the predicted east winds and bad weather.  Arriving at 6 PM we set our anchor and settled in for a delicious dinner with fresh ingredients from the Provence market.

Friday morning the boat was facing 180 degrees but then back to the original direction and basically the wind was swirling and increasing all day. Late in the afternoon we went for a hike and when we got to the top of the hill we looked down and saw El Gato was not where we left her. Huh? The sandals came off and we flew down the hill racing with backpacks and hoping we could get El Raton to El Gato before something bad happened. And why did she wait until we left her? We raced the dinghy, climbed aboard, and started the engines and were so thankful she drifted between 2 large yachts and not into them. The anchor was barely touching the bottom as this harbor is super deep. El Gato was on her way to the other side or out to sea. Time would tell but we are so thankful nothing bad happened! Sidebar, Eric was impressed that I could run, and my feet are so raw now I won’t need a pedicure. He had good shoes on so he was lucky.  

Lesson: if the wind is strong, and your boat has been doing donuts, it might break loose. Don’t go for a hike.

  
VilleFranche is between Nice and Monaco, and Nice is just over that hill.