Our boating world.

The best days of owning a boat or a plane are the day that you buy it, and the day that you sell it. So says my brother in law, and it is hard not to disagree. This is the time of year that boat owners have to face up to preparing their craft for another season on the water. It can be costly. That is why we are down at Chantier Allemand, at the mouth of the River Hérault, this weekend, as B. sands the hull of our boat, before painting it with anti fouling(pronounced anti_fooling in French!) It's just as well that our boat is only 8 metres long , and the rest of the hull is fine, so it should soon be 'good to go.' In late March we hope to head for the Canal Rhône Sete , where we have secured a quieter and much cheaper mooring away from the hustle and bustle of Cap d'Agde. But we won't be far from the sea or the étang, and should be able to enjoy the best of both boating worlds.

Chantier Allemand is a fascinating place, far removed from the high pressure world of Cap d'Agde. Here , sea going yachts and motor cruisers rub shoulders with canal boats big and small. Many boat owners choose to do their own 'carénage' and at any one time there will be a number of boat owners sleeping aboard their boat as they work on the hull. But alongside these are other shabbier boats that seem to have been abandoned many years ago. Perhaps they were once fine boats, but their owner fell ill, or came upon hard times. I am sure there are many stories to be told.

Look down and you will see the history of the many many boats that have passed through this boatyard. The stony ground is a jumble of screws, metal fixings, fraying plastic sheeting, scraps of fibre glass, paint mixing sticks and other oddments. A piece of abandoned rope lies curled like a waiting snake; Not every boat owner is as diligent as they should be. Today I even found an abandoned Cuban cigar, as fat as two thumbs.

Chantier Allemand will always feel special to us. Let the wealthy boat owners head for St Tropez, but this is one of those places that has remained true to its local family origins. It is neither impersonal nor money grubbing as so many modern businesses are. The anti-fouling that we must use nowadays is far less toxic for the marine environment than it used to be , so in a year's time the weeds and barnacles will have inevitably started to grow back on the hull of our boat and it will need another carénage. We hope to be be back.