With Rouen shore leave over, we prepared the ship for sea and with the river pilot on board we slipped our moorings at 3.30pm.
Although overcast, it was warm and dry, and once past the grain silo's and industrial part of Rouen, we motored calmly through the beautiful, peaceful Normandy scenery quite unspoilt by development.
At Caudebec we exchanged river plots for the next stretch of the Seine down to the river mouth at Le Havre. Our watch was blessed with dry weather and at midnight we dropped the river pilot and proceeded out to sea and turning to the NE passed through many anchored ships awaiting a cargo.
A remarkably warm and gentle WSW wind and a nearly full moon meant a very pleasant midnight to 4am watch, but by the time the new watch appeared, the wind had backed to the SE and had strengthened, so before heading for our cosy bunks, we helped them set the two topsails.