One more time, Skøiern put some thousand nautical miles in her wake, and brought us in the ocean to go back to our roots. First we had to mourn our cat Zoé, who accompagned us since 18 years, who had sailed on so many seas and oceans, so many wonderful contries, who shared ours best and worst hours, never complaining, even for a while.

But the sea knows how to heal us and for spring we sailed for Galicia, go back to Cedeira (where the Captain will, once again, rob the antiquary ), meet again our friend Fernando, pass by A Coruña before taking the way to the Azores.

Meet again Santa Maria, after a brisky crossing which Skøiern faced bravely, that’s a great pleasure. Ricardo, the owner of the boatyard in Vila do Porto recognise at once our boat after 3 years ! Just the time to hug Marianne and back to sea, in company of sperm whales, headind for Faial.

Arriving in Horta the wind is stormy but Luis, Rita, Pedro, Leandro and Francisco are waiting for us. The friends Laurent and Pocky are here too, sailors always meet themselves.

Emilie join us and she will not have much time to rest : going down in the Caldeira with her mother, the day after to the top of the Pico, always in company of Luis of course. Pedro make us discover better Pico island and with him we will crop some seeds of the Dragon tree which are now growing on Skøiern ( and a bunch of bananas….), the friend Genuino welcome us in his restaurant and Jose Enrique, from the Peter Cafe Sport will honor us by including us in his Visiters book.

In Praia da Vitoria it’s our friend Betencour that we meet again and we will follow the prints of Vitorino Nemesio before diving in the reading of his « Mau tempo no canal ». We take again some Tillandsia, our «  daughters of the air » which sailed with us on the seas.

To go back to Britany we take the North route, perhaps a little bit longer, but so more pleasent : nearly only fair winds from the back, whales, globicephales, bands of dolphins and bonites, all busy in hunting sardins and anchovices, and us catching a beautiful tun fish which will give us a lot of meals : arriving in Camaret there was some left. Here Nathalie will join us to write an article to be published in the « Chasse Marée », we would have wanted to keep her with us a little bit more.

August 23 : « La Belle Angèle » festival ! The meeting had been arranged on the piers of Port la forêt, with the crew of « Minahouet II ». Then on August 22 we sail up the river Aven after embarking Stephane and Enzo at Port Manech, and later to be grounded alongside the quays of Pont Aven. The feast was gorgeous, human and friendly, where Jean François Gaume, son of Bernard Gaume whom I bought Skøiern in 1979 went to meet us : emotion !

October 13 : a small ball of gray hair embark. Life was to hard for all of us without our cat and Nour نور  entered our life. She, who spent 3 month in the nature, on month at the SPA of Plouhinec found a family and is now part of the crew. She is the guardian of our home.

The year end sadly, the Captain lost his brother Dominique, the same day the friend Claudio passed away and a week later it’s the turn of our friend, the boatswain Georges, to live us

They stay in our hearts, we mourn them.

Dominique Dominique Claudio Georges

In the Port Rhu life is going on, some works on our main mast, on Gray Hound they dismast the mizzen and « Girl Joyce », the last boat of Yvon Le Corre, comes to moor alongside !

Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year !

Nedeleg Laouen, Bloavezh mat !

Pace Salute!

God Jul, God Nyttår !

Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo !

Boa Natal e Boa Ano Novo !

ميلاد سعيد و سميد سن٦٢٠٢

圣诞快乐，新年快乐2026！

In this world who knows only war, and wants only to know war,

when fascim is reviving evrywhere,

more than hope it’s better to fight for better days and

PEACE

It was time for me to go back to writing, as this year is nearly at his end.

It had been a year rich in events, let’s see :

First, old memories of 1958 regatas coming at Skøiern, an octant from the 18°century coming from Marseille (perhaps the one of Captain Blight…) and the schooner « De Gallant » sailing for his unhappy fate.

For the »Gras » carnival of Douarnenez the captain became Captain Haddock, even his son din’t recognise him !

Its now traditional : a trip on the north coast, te see our friend Gilles in his home at Kergall and his wood of Kermarie, make beautiful enconters in the river Trieux we would sail up to « La Roche Jagu », only to see the Castel rising from the fog. In Saint Malo pilgimage at the « Bar de l’Univers », to admire the picture of Skøiern which adorn this bar in the fifties… Saint Servan and his Solidor tower, rememberings of past holydays… and visit at the Enim, the place who pay the retired sailors. A surprise with visitors from Saint Pierre et Miquelon, Pascale and Charlot, and a extraordinary enconter with Micha.

A round in Brest roads, to discover Roscanvel, his chapel’s stain glasses, his fonts, the Saint Pöl Roux cottage, the »Chaumière de Divine », reenconter by chance Jean Marc, some twenty yaers later and the gorgeous « Mariquita » and « Moonbeam », splendors coming from a glorious past.

It’s the feast in Douarnenez : with « ça cartonne » you can assist at wonderfull wreckeages in cardboard, while in the bay, at the « Aber » ancorage you always meet beautiful things.

After the passage of the Olympic flame in our boat we could not miss the Brest maritime festival, go back in the Penfeld knowed by the captain 50 years ago, be side by side with the « Pen Duicks », see the friends of « Fleur de Passion » and all the others. It was fantastic, with a night parade for the end, on a Yann Tiersen music. A regata to join Douarnenez were the feast was smaller, but nevertheless as great.

After another pilgrimage in Sainte Anne La Palud, we had enough time to join Galicia, A Coruna and Cedeira, climb up to the San Anton hermitage, assist to the fishermen feast with their Virgen de los pescadores, and by chance find by an antiquairy a magnific field glass, the one of the Chevalierde Haddoque I think. As usual a stop at the Groix island after a detour to see Jean Luc and Anne.

As usual again a trip to Marseille to hug Jacques and Sophie, Emilie and Manon, Eric and Martine, Marie and Jean Louis and make a walk where Anne Marie spend her childhood, the Anthenors, the Grand and Petit Mejean .

Autumn is coming on the Port Rhu, we celebrate the 80 years of Georges, the boatswain from Plogoff, Stéphane and Louison for a remake of the maritime festival, Nicolas, gran son of Louis Rivière came on board and there are the celebrations of the big stike of the “Penn Sardin” in 1924. The captain and his friend Alexandre found the association « Les gardiens du Bateau-Phare » to try to salvage the « Scarweather », the light ship anchored in the Pouldavid river : we will be busy !

Then we wish you

a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !

In Douarnenez, time flies… one day in Lorient, to visit Lilian and his dog, another one in Plogoff, to see again our friend Georges and his hens, another time walking to the Juch and look at the devil in the church.

Douarnenez it’s also the «Greyhound » sailing under the orders of Captain Philemon, or the (great) hawks on Fabrice house….

More they are the « Gras » festivities where the captain couldn’t refrain to demonstrate, obvioussly to tell his lack of understanding to see the « Abri du Marin », Jacques de Thézac master piece, go to the hands of richs and wheeler dealers of all sorts !

April 18th 2023, SKØIERN enter for 3 months of work in the shipyard « Pleine mer » , to Christof Eberhardt, located in the Port Rhu, at the same place of the shipyards of the past :

Big works on the hull : 5 swan frames, 4 steamed frames, a tens of planks, the rudder trunk refited, a new paint for the engine…

Kilos and kilos of paint, liters of oils, oak and acacia for the frames, larch for the planking, okum for calking, bitumen for the seams, and a lot of elbow grease !

And on july the 19, at 17h12 o’clock SKØIERN goes back to his élément, by air, as many others, realy in Douarnenez boats are flying !

The actors :

Christoff and Pierrick,

Ivan, Xavier,

Patrick, Anne Marie, Zoé and Iris

« ‹ 1 of 2 › »

At least, back to the sea ! A running off to the Aber Wrac’h, meet again our friends, the « Bel Espoir » where the Captain will have the honnor to embark, not for long, but enough to jump 50 years back…. the wonderfull « Swallow », our oak at the Moulin de l’Enfer, then the Trieux and Lézardrieux to hugg the friend Gilles, meet again Dominique, make a tour in Paimpol.

We will enjoy Ouessant, the Tas de Pois and Camaret where you see sailing boats from the old times, when the boats where of wood and beautiful under their multicolored sails.