SNSM Golfe de Morbihan, Port Blanc - English Version

Here I have found a computer again and can write my story in English - quite an overwhelming experience I have had in the context of the lifeboat station of the Golfe de Morbihan on the South coast of Brittany. Riton, SNSM mechanic in Ploumanach and an old friend had met me in Auray with a larger tent and things and the following day put me down in the harbor of Auray, St. Goustan. There I was met by Nicole Le Gurun who had proposed to walk with me to Port Blanc with its Lifeboat station. Riton went off with his car to pay a visit to aan old friend of his and Nicole and myself walked off in the opposite direction. In the pouring rain! And it rained all day long! We arrived in Port Blanc 4 hours and say 17 km later  -  we had a coffee pause in the middle of Baden where people looked at us as if we had come from outer space, drenched as we where - not Nicole so much but I!!

We knew that the lifeboat people where going to have a demonstration of their equipment for a group of pupils of the Ecole Notre Dame at St. Avé (51 pupils) - when we showed up there were all these children as drenched as we were. There was Charles Pilorget, president of the station, Christine Bonnaire, treasurer and also crew member (and, it seems to me, "donna tutto fare" as the Italians say, organizing everything, public relations, etc etc), her husband André, one of "patrons", Jean Yves, mechanic and also patron, and  several other crew members. And there were a number of dignitaries (? is that what you say?) le maire and one of his deputies, the délégué départementale (lifeboat organization), school inspector etc etc and of course LA PRESSE!

So after all the other interviews it was my turn! Who would have thought it! So now I am twice a star (after the article in the press at Le Conquet) and you can read the articles as soon as we get the scans to Bernard.

I also met Maurice Puget captain of SNS 5697 "Président Louis TATTEVIN" and SNS605 "Jean Pierre LE ROCH.

In the evening we all met in the local restaurant - crèperie whose "propriétaire" Marie will do one week on the way to Santiago with 6 friends all of them female at the end of September - you will find her on a photo later on in this blog. We had a splendid time, got on like a house on fire and - to top it all - the B&B was paid by our new lifeboat friends!

Final touch to this episode: As I walked into the town center of Arradon with my big yellow pack on my back I heard: Mais c'est Ina!!! It was Christine and André who came from the market! And only half an hour before I had decided not to take the coast path but rather go through the center of town in order to gain a bit of time. Whereupon I accepted, without hesitation, there invitation for a coffee or tea - and here I am still, two hours later, taking advantage of their hospitality to the point of using their computer! Voilà! End of message!