Departure from La Rochelle is a bit cool, there is a north wind. In fact, when I had prepared the trip, I had looked to see if there was a prevailing wind and it seemed that there was not... But today the winds will be north, west and then north-west... So I’m not sure that I’ll all the time have the wind from the front but I’m sure that I’ll never have it from the back !

Leaving La Rochelle we follow the canal from Marans to La Rochelle but we are not on the towpath as the path climbs progressively and we must be about twenty meters above the canal. Then apparently the canal passes in a tunnel (Leonard) but impossible to see it...
We pass areas flooded by the storm Xinthia. I don’t know if they have planned everything because I pass on a road at 1 or 2 m of altitude and there are inhabited houses below...

From Marans we go along the Sea Canal from Marans to the sea.

First puncture when we arrive in Saint-Michel-en-l’Herm. I removed a piece of thorn of a few millimetres from the inner tube and another piece of the whole thickness of the tyre. I must have caught it when I pushed myself to the side to pass another cyclist... or when I left the track to take pictures... or.... Anyway, any excuse is a good reason to puncture these puncture-proof "Marathon Plus Tour" tires!

Arrival around 4pm at the municipal campsite of La Tranche sur Mer, cheap and nice welcome for the bikes : there is a shed reserved for bikes with electricity, microwave, tables that you can bring on the pitch etc...
Then the first laundry!