our last days in port saint louis du rhone
1st July 2022
To say we loved our time in the yard at Port Navy Service in Port Saint Louis du Rhone would be a slight exaggeration, but to say we didn't learn something would be a big lie.
Our neighbour, a frenchman named Jerome was working on a small trimaran that had had an accident and he was repairing it himself. He worked all the hours of the day, and their are plenty of extra sunlight hours in France during summer. His work ethic was commendable and our accommodations on Phantomas were lavish in comparison to his boat.
We had the old AIS (automated Identification System - to identify other boats out on the water) up for sale. We put a FOR SALE sign for the old AIS near the washing machine area in the yard. This is where things got left by some and to be made use of by others. An older Frenchman named Regis came to ask about the AIS. He had sought some advice from a friend of the questions he should ask about the AIS but we had no clue what was included in the box or how to set it up. This was all happening with him speaking no English and us no French. Into the breach stepped the trusty Google Translate to try and help the situation. But this time it was left wanting so Regis called upon another fellow countryman Antony, who was able to come and interpret for him.
I also got chatting to anyone who could utter any English whilst I did the dishes near the shower room and the laundry. I met Ben, a French Canadian and his mate who were launching their yacht the next day. I met Brigid, named after Brigid Bardot apparently who was with her husband and they had a catamaran called Octopus. We met Mike an American, who lived in Alaska and also Spain, he was in the yard working on his catamaran preparing it for sale. He was 76 years young and looked amazing for his age.
There were many other "Bonjours" shared along the way.
The ladies in the office also rate a special mention as they became my sounding board for when "French Life" got too frustrating. There were three regular ladies, Najet who mainly spoke French, Dipty, an English lady with great French and Charmalene who's English was impeccable like her French.
When I didn't know what the message was on my phone as it was in French. Where did I have to go to pick up my deliveries. How do I find a Notary to witness our signatures and countless other inane questions they had to suffer through.
We spent the most time with Michael and Julia who we have mentioned before. Our last weekend in the yard we pedaled to the Plague (Beach) which was a steady flat 7.5km ride one way and also went into town for a drink and a meal together. Julia also make us pancakes for lunch one day. They came to see us off on Wednesday down at the dock and Julia was the one who took all the great photos of Phantomas heading off. We feel sure that we will see them again, probably in the Caribbean. They will hopefully launch on Saturday and are planning to cross the Atlantic Ocean in November to spend 3-4 years cruising the Caribbean.
Now that we have escaped we can look back with fondness for our time learning about our new home and meeting some great people in the yard and even the......NO not the mosquito's, we will not miss them!!
To say we loved our time in the yard at Port Navy Service in Port Saint Louis du Rhone would be a slight exaggeration, but to say we didn't learn something would be a big lie.
Our neighbour, a frenchman named Jerome was working on a small trimaran that had had an accident and he was repairing it himself. He worked all the hours of the day, and their are plenty of extra sunlight hours in France during summer. His work ethic was commendable and our accommodations on Phantomas were lavish in comparison to his boat.
We had the old AIS (automated Identification System - to identify other boats out on the water) up for sale. We put a FOR SALE sign for the old AIS near the washing machine area in the yard. This is where things got left by some and to be made use of by others. An older Frenchman named Regis came to ask about the AIS. He had sought some advice from a friend of the questions he should ask about the AIS but we had no clue what was included in the box or how to set it up. This was all happening with him speaking no English and us no French. Into the breach stepped the trusty Google Translate to try and help the situation. But this time it was left wanting so Regis called upon another fellow countryman Antony, who was able to come and interpret for him.
I also got chatting to anyone who could utter any English whilst I did the dishes near the shower room and the laundry. I met Ben, a French Canadian and his mate who were launching their yacht the next day. I met Brigid, named after Brigid Bardot apparently who was with her husband and they had a catamaran called Octopus. We met Mike an American, who lived in Alaska and also Spain, he was in the yard working on his catamaran preparing it for sale. He was 76 years young and looked amazing for his age.
There were many other "Bonjours" shared along the way.
The ladies in the office also rate a special mention as they became my sounding board for when "French Life" got too frustrating. There were three regular ladies, Najet who mainly spoke French, Dipty, an English lady with great French and Charmalene who's English was impeccable like her French.
When I didn't know what the message was on my phone as it was in French. Where did I have to go to pick up my deliveries. How do I find a Notary to witness our signatures and countless other inane questions they had to suffer through.
We spent the most time with Michael and Julia who we have mentioned before. Our last weekend in the yard we pedaled to the Plague (Beach) which was a steady flat 7.5km ride one way and also went into town for a drink and a meal together. Julia also make us pancakes for lunch one day. They came to see us off on Wednesday down at the dock and Julia was the one who took all the great photos of Phantomas heading off. We feel sure that we will see them again, probably in the Caribbean. They will hopefully launch on Saturday and are planning to cross the Atlantic Ocean in November to spend 3-4 years cruising the Caribbean.Now that we have escaped we can look back with fondness for our time learning about our new home and meeting some great people in the yard and even the......NO not the mosquito's, we will not miss them!!