23rd June

The first bout of hazelnut throwing was last night. There was some affectionate chucking and some outright warfare. Among it all tiny kids were picking up nuts and putting them in baskets or jumping up and down on them to hear the popping noise. It was another disturbed night. A big thunderstorm swept in and the rain hammering woke Lucinda who closed the hatches. Streaks of lightning mingled with the searching beam of the lighthouse on the corner mingled with claps of thunder and the rattling of rigging. At 4am we were dozing uneasily when there was a thud by Lucinda's left ear which vibrated through the boat. Rushing on deck we could see a boat which had dragged its anchor. It had drifted back onto the rocks, swung sideways, slipped behind another boat and hit us. That took a while to untangle. We were firmly in place but on both sides of us boats were bobbing and swinging around uncertainly. In daylight we could see that the damage appeared to be superficial with a couple of gouges out of the fibreglass. The French boat that came adrift was made of steel and bounced harmlessly off the rocks. He's heading to the Canaries and across the Atlantic so we'd better sort it out while we are both here. Later our friends Clare and Gareth on Jalfrezi arrived, a pleasant surprise. We went ashore to see a man riding a donkey. There were performing horses somewhere but we couldn't find them. Tonight more horses and more hazelnut throwing. In the meantime more and more boats arrive and the town is heaving with excitable youth and rotund grannies wearing St Joan t shirts, hats and neckerchiefs.