Today we left Sables D’Olonne to head for La Rochelle, which meant going against the tide for the first few hours so that we would be entering La Rochelle on the flood tide. The only real “challenge” today was to go through the right channel under the bridge which goes over to Ille De Re. Now you may not think that heading for a big bridge might not be worthy of much thought, but the whole area approaching the bridge is pretty shallow with some patches being as low as 1.2m at chart datum (lowest tide), and taking into account the difference swell might make it, is definitely worthy of a bit of thought.
On the approach to the bridge, even with binoculars, we couldn’t make out the marks that were meant to be on the bridge or indeed the green and red lateral buoys, and it wasn’t until we got pretty close that we saw both of these, exactly as per the chart, (funny that eh!!) and under the bridge we went.
We then cut the corner and headed diagonally across to the main approach channel leading into La Rochelle. Approaching the marina entrance, down the main channel, it was like the whole world wanted to come out to play on sail boats, wind surfers, dinghies, hobbie cats, old baths (well not quite). It really was like Piccadilly Circus or Sauchiehall Street on a Saturday when someone is giving away free money!!
We dodged our way down and just in the final approach to the marina entrance the wind shot up from around 10kts to 20 gusting 25+ and all hell broke loose. The yacht ahead of us spun around away from the entrance because a couple of windsurfers had fallen off right in the approach, and the little dinghies were having a tough time too. As soon as the safety boat cleared the entrance we went in, but were unsure of which berth was the Accueil Pontoon where visitors are meant to tie up, (and then report to the Capitainerie to be allocated a berth), because boats were rafted everywhere. I decided therefore to tie up at an alongside pontoon which was obviously for bigger boats and called the Capitainiere on the radio. She said it would be fine to stay there for the night, but asked us to report into the office to fill out the paper work.
At this point our fenders were getting some serious abuse, as were the fenders on other boats tied up on this pontoon. The next wee while was spent pushing boats off the pontoon and stuffing their fenders back down – it was blowing very strongly and pushing us really hard onto the pontoon. Sara had the unenviable task of walking around to the office, which given this marina complex is vast, took her a bit of time, and while she was doing this I was putting out every fender we had onboard.
Just as Sara arrived back a big catamaran came in and were saying we were parked in their spot, and at the same time Sara confirmed the office had said we could not stay there and had to move. They had given her a map with the visitors berths marked, and said we could take any that were free. We managed to spring off the pontoon (not easy in these conditions) and went into a visitors berth. Sara had been told we had to go back to the office and inform them which berth we had taken! Seems a back to front way of doing things, but heigh ho…
Off we went back to the office and were stunned when they said the pontoon we were on was private, and that we would have to move. We pointed out the map they had given us with visitors berths marked -but they appeared to be saying something along the lines of a “mistake at the printers”!! I asked why they didn’t tell us this when Sara was up earlier……after some shrugging of shoulders, he said we could stay tonight but would have to move tomorrow. I asked where to? And he said again anywhere that was free but not one of the long visitors pontoons, as they were hosting some kind of event and these had to be kept free.
After this we walked past the area he said we would have to park the boat, and it was absolutely chocka block with boats rafting three deep, and boats on the inside had no chance of leaving as they were blocked in…………
At this point, a conversation I had an English chap back in Sables D’Olonne came to mind, when he basically said that this marina couldn’t organise a p*** up in a brewery…………………………I was beginning to think he was right.