I spent the morning walking the streets of Pauillac. People paced hurriedly between shopfront canopies or held umbrellas, the day grey and rainy. Pauillac produces some of the best wine in Bordeaux, but not much else goes on there.

I sampled the boulangerie and chatted to the harbour master while I waited for the tide to turn. I got bored of waiting so left at 12.30 when there was just enough water to get out of the harbour.

I’ve been blessed with good weather and this was my first rainy day. Combined with the brown water, lush vegetation and the carrelets, it gave the river a tropical feel. On the sea I could often see my destination on the horizon all day and I enjoyed the change, the river slowly revealing itself.

Near the opposite bank, a vortex was spinning across the river, picking up water and creating a plume up to the sky like a mini tornado! It was quite amazing to watch.

The tide picked up and I sped along. I was just getting tired and hungry from battling a headwind when the river bended and I reached the industrial port of Bordeaux. No one was about and the place felt menacing, the huge cranes creaking in the wind and silos towering above me.

The tide really started ripping as I approached the Aquitaine bridge and small waves picked up. I tried not to think about what horrors were in the water as it splashed up into my face. Looking up at lorries passing above me on the bridge sent my mind spinning and I went under as fast as I could.

Boat traffic was minimal on the Gironde but now in Bordeaux Central, I had a few ferries to contend with. I swept over to the left-hand bank and knowing I’d only get one chance, slotted into a slipway.

I found the watersports club I’d seen on Google which seemed to have a rather odd arrangement, sharing premises with a restaurant. No paddlers were about so I asked a waiter and ended up bluffing my way to a shower in the restaurant. I then hid from the pouring rain before going for an evening stroll through beautiful Bordeaux.