Meeting Etienne Le Caër by chance on a neighbouring berth in Corsica, resulted in his daughter, Geneviève, visiting us in Australia. She sailed with us in Jervis Bay on Balnagowan, our 25ft Adams. Not long after my business interests took me to Kenilworth in the UK, where I exhibited my agricultural equipment at the Royal Show.
With that, came an exciting invitation to sail Briseis, her father's Jeanneau 33 that was berthed at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the Côte d'Azur. I could hardly wait for the exhibition to conclude and hastily rearranged our schedules to fly to Cannes, from where we hired a car to Cap Ferrat.
Etienne was the retired maritime pilot of the Port of Dunkirk and a very affable man, but it takes a special person to place his treasured boat in the hands of another yachtsman. I could hardly believe my good fortune.
Borrowing a boat
While my wife and daughters shopped for supplies, Etienne took me on a familiarisation sail across the bay to nearby Monaco. The coastline was sparkling and I soon felt comfortable at the helm of Briseis. It was on this relaxed passage that he also introduced me to the ultimate yachties' lunch called a 'pan bagnat' a large crusty, wholewheat bun stuffed with a generous serving of salade Niçoise. It is a particular specialty of Nice. We Aussies would have cut the bun in half, but when you have one hand on the tiller or are trying to pull in the mainsheet, a pan bagnat clamped between one's jaws is definitely less vulnerable to spillage. This staple of French nautical cuisine has since become a favourite of mine.
Bu hikaye Practical Boat Owner dergisinin December 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Practical Boat Owner dergisinin December 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Orca sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
Spain's maritime rescue service, Salvamento Maritimo, has reported that a 15m (49ft) yacht sank in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar following interaction with a pod of orca.
No kill cord or lifejackets were worn during fatal powerboat crash
A kill cord and lifejacket are useless unless worn-that's the warning from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), following its investigation into a powerboat crash that killed a 32-year-old woman and five-year-old girl on 2 October 2022.
Multihull sail work
Brush up on multihull sailing skills before heading off on charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to spinnaker handling, tacking and gybing
Five top causes of engine failure and how to prevent them
Jake Kavanagh talks to Sea Start marine engineer Nick Eales about how to avoid the five major causes of an engine breakdown at sea
Sail the Atlantic with strangers
Would you sail across the Atlantic with someone you've just met? Ali Wood meets the cruising crews who've done just that
IZIBoat: simple sailing
Rupert Holmes sails an innovative catamaran design intended to widen participation in sailing among those with little time to get on the water in more conventional craft
30 WAYS TO GET AFLOAT
From tall ships to small dinghies, you needn't own a boat to sail. Ali Wood looks at the options, and how skippers can also find crew
Boats for restoring under £20,000
Duncan Kent picks the best sub-35ft sail and power boats to look for when aiming to undertake a restoration on a budget
Seaworthy dinghies for less than £500
For low cost traditionally-styled GRP trailer-sailers, consider the Foreland and the Otter available at bargain basement prices
Playing with coloured sails
Maintaining an hourglass-shaped balloon and ratcheting up the log numbers
