A brisk and chilly northeasterly drove ‘Aliya’ across the Channel to Cherbourg last weekend, so that I could continue arrangements for the rally in two weeks time, as well as attend the Nicholson 32 rally – and , as it turned out, attend the YCC Transmanche prizegiving, which had been postponed for a week.
My pictures show something of the upheaval at Port Chantereyne, part of a wider programme of renovation taking in the whole town – and even the Fort du Roule, I noticed. Members who have not visited Carrefour since last year are in for a shock, though many of the best little shops in the heart of the town remain unaffected and are much more practical for most shopping.
I collected a number of guides and street maps from the tourist office which I have put in the clubroom, so that you can make the most of your time in the town. My guide to Cherbourg is available on Amazon Kindle, and I am prepared to offer a short guided tour of the old town while we are there.
To add to the festive atmosphere, it is of course also the fiftieth anniversary of the cult movie ‘Les Parapluies de Cherbourg’ and a booklet detailing the film locations is also available for devotees. Ironically, the weather was so good during filming that the fire service were drafted in to lay on some convincing rain!
One morning during the weekend a skipper comes along the pontoon with an interesting problem – his wheel has come loose and he doesn’t have a big enough socket to tighten it up again! And I got buzzed by the Douane on Monday morning off the Cotentin - we might all just check we’ve got everything before we leave…
Steve Fraser
Cruiser Class Captain
