Ln November 10, 1962, the anniversary of his fourteen years, Jean-Pierre Micheau returned to Léglise-Descorps shipyards in Bayon. Fourteen years old was just the legal age to work at the time. On this day, the transmission of the shipyards between the former owner, Mr. Léglise and his successor Mr. Descorps takes place. A double coincidence that he has never forgotten.
In 1967, he tackled his first real work, done from start to finish, as a carpenter: the construction of a wooden skiff. And 53 years later, a retired marine carpenter, he is repairing this magnificent boat abandoned for thirty years at the back of a garage in Saint-Martin-Lacaussade.
The beautiful story
It is a fan of sails and old boats who bought it. He is not really a stranger since he is Franck Jouanny, boss and owner of the cruise ship Le Marco Polo, in Cubzac-les-Ponts. “Originally, I was a sailor and in my young days, I was part of Marc Pajot’s team during the America’s Cup in 1987.” A combination of circumstances brought the boss of the Marco Polo into contact with Jean-Pierre Micheau on a used parts site. “I was looking for fittings,” says Franck Jouanny and “I learned to appreciate the man. Then time goes by and when he accidentally phones Jean-Pierre Micheau and says to him: “I bought a skiff”, Jean-Pierre Micheau arrives in the following half hour. “He was very moved, it showed! “
This gig is a real homecoming and memories for Jean-Pierre Micheau, its creator. He sees himself as a young man “working the copper rivets of the frames”. A marine carpenter always has a love for a job well done, but when you review your first boat, it’s love.
The skiff’s copper tank
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Six months of work and fun
“For six months, I’ve been working on it! “First, three weeks to clean and pamper it from top to bottom. He shows her in a bare-hull photo at reception in his workshop garage. Throughout the stages, the installation of the wooden template is carried out to install the new engine of 12 CV because “the old one made only 4 or 5”. He knows each piece of wood and explains its use. “The only part that has been changed is the transom. Here, the frames are made of acacia wood boiled in hot water for three quarters of an hour. “
Every wooden boat is unique and so is every piece. The gig looks like a puzzle on its own, made of several types of wood. The copper gas tank, not yet installed, shines like a new penny on the deck of the ship.
A skiff made for fishing
With its 5.40 m long and 1.90 m wide, the skiff is sleek and slender, made for professional fishing on the waters of the estuary. She is waiting for her launch, but not before May or June. In the meantime, the marine carpenter explains the parts where the emergency oars are moored on the planking: the savate attached to the gunwale. The piece of wood planted on the savate is called the tolet. Around the latter, we slide the oar three meters long. The strop is the rope that unites the oar and the oar.
When Jean-Pierre Micheau gets on board, it’s in socks like entering a room. “When I was a worker, we had clogs, but we also took off our shoes! “
No need for the former shipwright to put his clogs in the fireplace, Jean-Pierre Micheau’s real Christmas present is to have found the skiff of his youth.
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