Welcome to Port Saint Louis
We had hardly finished our high-five before the phone rang. It was Thijs.
- "Welcome to Port Saint Louis" it sounded excitedly. "If you look a little to your port side you can see me. There's a free berth next to us. Best berth in the marina "
It sounded tempting, but we wanted to go to Port Napoleon and meet our mast. It had traveled from Travemünde by car and had been waiting for us since February. At least that was what the shipping man had assured us of - a couple of times.
The port of Port Saint Louis is large and at first impression seemed confusing and unmanageable. We sailed out of the almost 3 mile long exit. Stayed clear of the lighthouse at the end of the pier before turning to starboard and heading for the 2 buoys marking the start of the gutter into Port Napoleon.
The passage was narrow. On the banks people stood in water to the ankles and fished or picked mussels and oysters.
We found a free space on the visitor ponton, docked with the aft inward, as they do in the Mediterranean and had toasted in cool champagne to celebrate that we had arrived.
Port Napoleon
Port Napoleon is a large marina. It accommodates 1.000 boats on land and 250 both in the water. In the big area of the marina there are around XNUMX workshops that offer help with virtually anything a pleasure boat may need.
Pulling out and launching into the water goes fast - the big boats are handled as if they were dinghies which as the most natural thing in the world is pulled on land and launched into the water when are to be used for sailing again
This weekend everything was closed. We biked to Port Saint Louis, shopped the supermarket and said hello to Sarah and Thijs, who invited us for drinks in the evening.
The Camargue
Next day we cycled 7 kilometers through the Camargue to the beach to the Mediterranean. On the way we saw pink flamingos, a small sample of the 500 different bird species living here and a couple of large and dead snakes that were run flat by the cars on the road. We didn't see the wild white horses and the black bulls that are captured and used for bullfighting in Spain.
Meeting with the mast
Monday we went to the port office or le capitainerie as it is called in French.
- “What are you looking for? Asked one of the 3 ladies in the office as we entered the nicely chilled room.
"Our Mast"
The lady smiled, explaining where the masters were kept and wrote us in as guests.
We rode to the square.
It was almost full of master. We started to look for pur mast. Only when we reached one of the last ones we found ours. We breathe relieved.
Sailboat again
A lady on a Swedish boat a few meters from us recommended us the workshop that had been responsible for the erection of their boat.
We biked to the workshop
- "Is anyone helping you? "Asked a man when we entered the workshop's small office. (What a difference compared with the welcome Lennart in Fjällbacka had given us). We explained that we needed help to get our boat rigged. A quarter of an hours and a cup of coffee later we had a price and a time for the rigging.
Two days later Heron was again a sailboat.
The Swedish lady was right.
The workshop employees were efficient and skilled. One had a smile so charming that the female part of Heron's crew took a wrong bike, as it unexpectedly met us at the bicycle racks.
After the mast was erected, the scratches from the close contact with the wall in the tunnel in Toul were rectified.
Heron appeared as new.
Out on the great Mediterranean
We went out for a test sail, setting sail as we entered the well sheltered bay and enjoying being carried along by the light warm wind. When we approached the coast we raised the sails, dropped the anchor and bathed in the clear water, which at this time of the year is delightfully cool.
We had not stayed long before the wind - as predicted - increased. After another swim we pulled the anchor and sailed back to the harbor.
The wind increased even more - 15-20 meter sidewind per second was a challenge for the harbor maneuver. The sailing on the narrow canals and the 254 locks had set their tracks. We entered our berth without any problems.
We stayed in Port Napoleon for almost 2 weeks, made various little things on the boat and planned our two-month stay in Denmark from mid-July.
A small community
The guest bridge made up a small community of sailors on their way out or on their way home.
Almost every day we met new people - such as Dutch Peter and Marjolinje, who started life as pensioners in a brand new boat.
American David and Lisa who, after crossing the Atlantic and sailing the Mediterranean thinly for 5 years, had the courage to try the canals in France for one year.
English David and Jill, who were on their way home after 27 years in the Mediterranean.
Danish John, who had sailed his boat down to his home in southern France.
English Geoff, who was waiting for a guest so he could sail on to Sicily and then of course Sarah & Thijs.
We got to see a lot more of them because they had to spend over a week repairing a rudder damage on the boat.
Luckily they had discovered the damage before coming out on the great Mediterranean or Mare Nostrum as the Romans called it.
Links
Visit at Lennart
still good reports
Another nice travel story. 🙂 But have you found an explanation of why you are lying with your back towards the pier?
Greet the female part of the crew if she is still there