Exploring the City of La Rochelle

We were docked in the old port area which put us right in the middle of the old city and where all the people were. Looking over the stern we had the aquarium just behind us. Through the big windows it looked more like an arboretum. Off our starboard bow was a three masted schooner and the entrance through the original walls of the city. La Rochelle dates back to the 12^th century with an ancient history of fishing and shipping. The modern cargo ships now go to a port outside of the city to the northwest.

We set out in the morning to check out a new set of chandleries for some parts we were looking for. We had some success. We made another trip to finally find the port office. Next task was more groceries and stocking the wine cellar. Found a cool little wine store called the Wine Caves. We tasted some of their cognac and bought a case of wine. They had an interest beer that caught my eye as the image on the bottle looked like Frank Zappa. As it turned out the brew mister was a huge Zappa fan and the hops he used were called Zappa Hops. Toting our wagon full of food, we made our way back over the cobbled streets to the boat.

The last chore of the day was to visit the scuba shop. I had bought a pony tank and had it delivered to SAS. The pony tank is handy if you need to dive the prop, change a zinc or just pick a dropped item off the bottom. The scuba shop guy took one look at my tank and said it was not legal to use in France so he could not fill it. Hmm, plan B. I did go ahead and buy a mask snorkel and fins in hopes he might soften and fill my tank, no bon. He would sell me a French 10 ltr pony tank for 300 euros.

Back to the boat for dinner and a relaxing evening of playing Mexican Train with Suzette.

Overnight it rained for the first time. With no plan for the day, we slept in, but once up we seized the opportunity to clean the decks, windows and hatches. You realize how big the boat is when you start cleaning it.

Sadly, we received news that Suzette’s Dad had passed in the night. This was not unexpected, but never pleasant. Her Dad lived a good life and was a very good man. He will be missed.

Undeterred, we headed off to explore the city, delving deep into the city center we found a spectacular market; fresh fruits and vegetable, seafood, cheeses, wine and bread. Now we are fully stocked for departure. Back at the boat Suzette spent time making some arrangements for flowers and such for her family. I kept busy with a few small projects.

We set out in the afternoon to explore the city wall and the bastions along it. Our good friend Carol had advised that we must have crepes in La Rochelle, so we had a front row seat on the water front and enjoyed crepes and a Compari as the crowds wondered by. More walking of the narrow streets had us back at the boat.

When in Les Sables we managed to buy everything, we needed for home made pizza and tonight was pizza night, but we were full of Crepes and not ready for a pizza. Perhaps pizza tomorrow night. We spent the evening checking the weather, selecting an anchorage for tomorrow night and prepping the boat for departure on the morning high tide.