👉Diving Into the Local Art... Literally!

When the places to visit are underwater! We had so much fun snorkelling and discovering the underwater eco museum.

9/25/20263 min read

From Saint-Tropez Glamour to Underwater Adventures

After the glamour and buzz of Saint-Tropez, we were looking forward to what should have been a straightforward 25-nautical-mile sail to the tiny island of Île Sainte-Marguerite, one of the beautiful Lérins Islands opposite Cannes.

Of course, sailing rarely sticks to the script. 😂

The wind picked up more than the forecast had suggested, and after all our efforts to keep the mainsail motor alive over recent weeks, it finally decided it had had enough. Thankfully, Tim was a Boy Scout! Armed with a collection of ropes, pulleys, determination and a healthy amount of ingenuity, he managed to rig a solution that allowed us to pull the sail out manually.

For a glorious ten minutes, Novera sailed beautifully in around 10-12 knots of wind, more than we had had in days.

However, as soon as Saint-Tropez vanished from sight, so did the wind, leaving us wallowing in the wake of passing mega-yachts. While they swept effortlessly past, we bounced up and down like we were on a trampoline, crashing through the waves and wondering why we'd bothered with all that effort.

Eventually we arrived safely at the Lérins Islands, where we would spend a few days before moving on to Antibes. The anchorage couldn't be more different from the quiet bays we've visited, including Cassis, which felt busy at the time.. Boats of every shape and size filled the bay, from modest cruising yachts like ours to enormous multi-million-pound motor yachts. One particularly beautiful schooner looked as though it had sailed straight out of a Pirates of the Caribbean film, although in elegant cream and oak rather than pirate black.

The most amusing sight was a floating bar slowly cruising through the anchorage offering everything from beer to champagne. Only on the French Riviera could there be floating drinks trolleys.😂⚓

After arrival, the priorities were simple: a swim, a cold beer and an ice lolly. Yes there was also and ice-cream boat.

The following day brought an entirely different adventure.

Throughout this trip we've visited museums perched on hilltops and hidden in tiny villages, but this was our first museum requiring a snorkel mask. We set off in search of the underwater museum near the island, where a collection of giant sculpted faces stood beneath the crystal-clear Mediterranean waters.

I would love to say I dived gracefully beneath the surface, but the truth is somewhat different. Tim explored the sculptures properly while I mostly flapped around on the surface, swallowed a worrying amount of seawater and confirmed that my skills lie firmly in surface snorkelling rather than free diving.

Despite that, it was enormous fun. The water was stunningly clear, and seeing the sculptures appear beneath the surface was both fantastic and surreal. It felt like nature and art coming together, as the sculptures were slowly being reclaimed by barnacles and seaweed while providing hiding places for fish.

The adventure wasn't quite over when we returned to Novera. After all that swimming, we discovered we'd forgotten to put the swim ladder down before getting in the water. As we used the paddleboard to do the 10 minute journey to the diving spot we climbed on from the back. So without the ladder getting back aboard from the unstable paddleboard suddenly became quite the challenge and a reminder that every day really is a school day when you live on a boat.

And after sailing challenges, underwater museums, accidental seawater tasting, paddleboarding gymnastics and an unexpected boarding exercise, there was really only one way to finish the day.

Beer o'clock. 🍺