Inauguration of the Gabarre

It has been a busy month so far, and it all started with a little ceremony on the quai. This village has a long history as a river port and because the Dordogne can be shallow in parts and fast flowing, a flat-bottomed boat called a ‘gabarre’ was used for this. I have heard it explained that , as the boats could only travel in one direction , the current being too strong for sailing back upstream, they were sold on arrival in Bordeaux and the crew had to walk back home and build another boat for the next trip.  Hard work !

the 'Montravel"

  

We have a small museum overlooking the river , the Maison du Fleuve, with lots of interesting exhibits explaining the history and importance of the river to the development of the village. What does ‘fleuve’ mean ? Well, in french, ‘fleuve ‘ is the word for a river that flows into the sea (eg, the Dordogne, the Seine). “Rivière” is the word for all those waterways that flow into the fleuve. What would be referred to , in english, as a tributary.

on the quai

The management of the museum decided to commission a replica gabarre (admittedly a small one) to sit at the quai beside the museum. Naturally, the arrival of the exhibit required a party in celebration. The craft is called "Montravel" in honour of the wine appellation here.

Montravel AOC

The Confrerie de Montravel - brotherhood of
Montravel connaisseurs

The maiden voyage of the Montravel was taken by monsieur le maire and other dignitaries accompanied by a jazz band , as one does. There was a little cheating as the boat was powered by an outboard motor for this event so that it could manoeuvre against the current, but all on board appeared to have a grand time.

Monsieur le Maire, etc, having fun

After the speeches and official photos, the bands played, the wine flowed, and a small luncheon was served under the marquee.

even the local rowing club turned up

The local car enthusiasts club was invited to procession through the town and then parked their wonderful vehicles on the bridge for all to inspect and admire.

we finished up on the terrace of the bar on the corner -
joined by any friends who happened to pass by

It was a very entertaining day.