First Period in Saint Martin de Re

Chapter 5

Roy BurnhamSY Adharac/o Le CapitainerieQuai Daniel Rivaille17410 Port Saint Martin de ReFrance

Rugby World Cup a la bar Le Lever du SoleilEngland v France

On my first Saturday in Saint Martin England played France! I had been listening to French Radio the night before and cottoned on to this fact so, in the morning after a shower I ventured off and found a nearby bar with a big screen and obviously preparing for the match. There weren’t too many people but I ordered le petit dejeuner, found a corner and sat down.

As the time came nearer to kick off the bar started to fill and the owner was preparing a table beneath the screen. Glasses, wine, pickles, meats and cheeses.

I sat quietly during the first half as the French became excited and by the end of that half the score was 16 nil to France. I was invited to the buffet but did not speak! Everyone was obviously having a good morning.

The second half started. When England scored their first try I clapped loudly!! Every face in the bar turned toward me in bewilderment. Mais, je suis Anglais I exclaimed loudly!! They understood and smiled. Well their side were winning. They humoured me for the rest of the game and shook my hand warmly at the end after a French victory. I wonder if I would have escaped alive had the English won!!!

I’ve been pottering about finding my way around Saint Martin and cycled to the next town of La Flotte, smaller and charming.

I didn’t do too well learning French at school. Mr Bird was very good but I found it difficult to keep up and after 2 years I stopped French lessons. So I have some basics but find it difficult to understand what is being said to me. Alison and Steve, in Joinville had told me of a popular learning method which I managed to acquire and now sit a bit each day learning with the use of my netbook. There is hope! I am getting more confident and am just about getting the gist of any replies to my requests and also being understood a bit more. I hope by the end of my time here I will be able to get by.

Sunday 9th October 2011

Well, that made for an interesting half hour or so! The man on the motor boat I was alongside arrived and wanted to go out! There is a pontoon ahead and two boats behind. I remade lines so that I could swing my stern out so that he could reverse out diagonally and then I could pull myself back into his place and it all went to plan. Just as well as quite a crowd had gathered to watch!! It’s just as well I was back from my cycle Ride. Lovely countryside, vineyards, salt flats etc. I’d been gone for a few hours and when I got back had a cold shower. Not by choice but there was no hot water today!! Just as I remember school days. I was just enjoying tea and a book.

The left hand picture shows why I had to come in at high tide!! The top of the picture is the harbour entrance. The right hand picture is the bit of harbour I am in behind lock gates keeping a minimum of 3M of water to float in. These pictures were taken from the town centre and Adhara is down the other end out of sight but I still get sightseers!! The centre picture is Joyce standing by Adhara when out of the water for maintenance back in UK. A very nice Frenchman spoke to me and asked if the 5 20 litre plastic containers I have on the deck for diesel were full of wine! I agreed that may be a better idea. Rose he insisted! We agreed I should have 5 more (but for wine) on the other side and that would balance the boat better!

I finished my odds and ends of jams yesterday so today (13th October) was the day to start the marmalade June from Pete’s shop, Quay West Chandlers, gave me as I left. But where was it!! You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to lose something on a small boat! Thank God, I found it…….with the port and sherry! Well, I have to say it won’t last long. What marmalade. Great. Thanks so much June.

This is a lovely place and being so flat great for cycling without killing yourself doing it. I’m meeting people now and hope that will continue. This harbour hasn’t been discovered for wintering by the English which I’m quite pleased about as I have to immerse myself into a French way. I hope they are not here because they know something I don’t.

The other day I caught the bus to Arse en Re and explored a bit. Another lovely place. I walked back. It took 3 hours and although I have walked that far with Joyce and felt fine, this time I was knackered!! Probably because it was non stop and against the wind most of the way. I’ll cycle next time!

I went to the café to watch France beat Wales and will return for the final. Nice atmosphere there and I met a Welsh couple who came to watch the match. We had a beer together afterwards to console themselves.

Another day I cycled to the bridge, about an hour and decided to cross to the mainland and into La Rochelle. There is a cycle path almost the whole way and the roads I did have to use had cycle lanes. It took about another hour. Just as I arrived I found myself next to a park so had my picnic there. Then into the centre of this lovely city. I went to the tourist office and found them really helpful in explaining how the transport works and gave me maps. Coming back took longer as I stopped in Rivedoux, the first town on the island for a beer and they had Wi-Fi so caught up with emails. On Saturday night they have two guitarists PM Blues Boys, playing which I hope to get to but the buses stop at 8pm!!! I may cycle.

In fact I didn’t go as I had 4 boats rafted alongside me partying (it’s a holiday weekend and town in full swing) and I had some concern leaving Adhara unattended. Each boat had 8 or nine crew meaning about 30 odd people (all quite young….where do they get these large boats? I assume rented) when needing to go ashore had to cross my deck. At first they were very polite but as the evening wore on and they began drinking my fears began to unfold! Loud music and flashing lights on one of the boats. I got very cross, and expressed so, when they were trying to cross through and behind the cockpit. Convention says you cross another boat on such occasions forward of the main mast. I shouted at one fellow sitting in my cockpit! He left. They finished at 3am!! The only positive was that they were all asleep when I got up and had a shower before all the hot water went!! Tempted to jump up and down on their decks!!

Sunday, and the Rugby final. Back to the café for breakfast and early enough to get a seat. Just as well as there were many more here and standing outside looking in!

Cheese and wine at half time and the pleasure was only marred by France’s narrow defeat.

I returned to Adhara after the match and my neighbours were beginning to leave!At 5 o/c I went to Rod’s party for the closing of the gallery, perhaps, I didn’t ask, as a result of this continuing recession and met a lovely couple, he, Michael, English and she Jenifer, French and Michael now enjoys his time at 82 growing vegetables having spent his professional life as a photographer. Jennifer tells me he has written a definitive book on photographing nude women. I must look it up!!

Later, in the evening I was aware of blue lights and peered out to see the fire brigade coming along the quay. Several more emergency vehicles arrived but they all left after some time of inspection. This was a little alarming as I had no idea of why they were there. Next morning I saw the reason. Someone had taken a wrong turn! They were lucky the pontoon was there to catch them.

Watching as the car was recovered provided the morning’s entertainment.

27 October 2011

Well, my first visitors from UK left an hour ago and Adhara almost back to normal. My son Daniel, his wife Dawn and my granddaughter Princess Nor, alias Elizabeth came to stay for a few days and despite the weather we had a lovely time together.

On being asked where would you like to sleep? Nor’s answer was “Pappi’s cabin”!! So I made up a bed on the little ¾ berth in my cabin but within an hour Nor had moved to my berth and decided that was where she would sleep. I never thought that such a little person could occupy so much of a bed. I never have this trouble with Joyce!! But she slept well and despite me having to hang on the edge of the berth I did too!

The bath on board is only large enough for Nor.

We went to the beach during a very rainy day driving round the island, but what a wonderful light and sky. We saw lovely rainbows.

Regatta Red is in!

We ate out one evening, in the restaurant I use for Wi-Fi and I felt I earned some points for when I sit on a bollard outside with my netbook or iPhone using their connection!

And to La Rochelle where we played in the park and had a ride on the Carrousel

It seems remarkably quiet now……but I expect I will get used to it!

Well, I think I’ll make this the end of chapter 5 and get it ready to send off, despite the fact I reported chapter 4 as the last.

Roy