Well, here we are at the marina at Port Des Minimes, La Rochelle. The Skylark is at the pontoon reserved for Amel boats. She is easy to tell from the other boats -- the only one flying the Malaysian civil ensign from her stern. We are of course flying the French flag on starboard as required. The first three days have been soent on learning the boat's mechanical and electrical systems as well as the array of electronic navigation and communications gear. The electronic charts for the French, Portuguese and Spanish Atlantic coasts, the western Med, Canary Islands and the Caribbean islands have been loaded in the GPS chart plotter and gear is being tested daily. Some minor issues but these are being addressed by the builder. The weather has been cold and wet but tomorrow, we venture out of the harbour for the first time. Meanwhile, gastronomical adventures have been extensive, not only at restaurants in La Rochelle but also the fine onboard cuisine produced by our friends Francois and Magda. Wifi connection was only just obtained from the Captainerie of the port, so new posts will be forthcoming. Some new photos should be loaded tomorrow, if the wire for connecting the camera to the laptop can be found.