Jousting in the Sun (12/7 – 17/7/25)

Frontignan – Marseillan

Frontignan

After checking in with the capitaine (a lovely young woman, who said she would try to let us stay more than the usual maximum three days if the wind continued) we set off for a walk around town. First stop, as always, the church – Église St Paul. Quite a large church, but very dark inside, even with the artifical lighting.

No Jeanne to be found, but our new interest, Saint Roch, with his dog, was well represented.

The town was quiet but had the necessary boulangerie, and the streets were tidy and had some interesting houses.

After the circumnavigation, we ended up back at the church as a wedding was about to take place. So we sat down to watch for the arrival of the bride. A woman accompanied by a very frail old man came up and sat him down beside us. We had a broken conversation with him until the bride arrived, in a rush, and dashed into the church. The interesting part of this wedding party was just that there seemed to be almost no one other than the wedding party. About eight bridesmaids, all dressed in the same pale green and a similar number of groomsmen, in a variety of pale coloured suits.

Then back to Catharina Elisabeth to watch the evening arrivals from upstream on the canal and from the Étang de Thau in the other direction. The capitaine was very busy trying to squeeze everyone in, and the port was full by evening.

Sète

The port of Sète was founded to provide port facilities for the Mediterranean end of the Canal du Midi. Construction began in 1666 but languished until Pierre-Paul Riquet (the architect of the Canal du Midi) took over in 1669. Initially fed by the commercial traffic brought by the Canal du Midi and latterly sustained by becoming a transport hub, fishing port and tourist Mecca, Sète has thrived. It is possible to moor vessels like Catharina in Sète, but it is difficult to get to, expensive and finding a mooring is problematic. However, the town is only a short, cheap €1.30 bus ride away from Frontignan – so off we went so as not to miss out on what Sète has to offer. And so glad we did. It was gorgeous.

We arrived in late morning on what promised to be a hot summer’s day. A short walk took us across one of the many bridges that span the numerous canal inlets in the port, thronged with motorboats moored in the town.

Also, we could see the water jousting boats and a viewing stand. It was a Sunday – so perhaps we’d be lucky enough to see some jousting.

A bit of background: water jousting (La Joute Nautique) is common around France (although our first experience was in Belgium), and we have seen many different variants. The most spectacular jousting is held in southern France, and the most famous location is – Sète.

The fundamental principle is that two boats drive towards each other, propelled variously by pulling on ropes, using small outboard motors and, most traditionally, by oars. At the stern of each boat is a jouster, and in the south, he or she is balanced on an elevated platform (tintaine). The jouster holds a long lance in one hand and a standard shield in the other.  In the southern variant, ten rowers power the two boats towards each other, raising their oars just before they pass. As the two boats pass each other, the jousters use their lance to strike the shield of their opponent in an attempt to push the other into the water. There can be a miss, or if both fall in, there is no score. Points are scored by a team that sends the other team’s jouster into the water while their jouster remains secure on their boat. We have seen all combinations of these encounters. One of the rather amusing ones is when the jouster ends up on the other boat’s platform, having sent his opponent into the canal. All ages and genders take part, and the competitions can be fierce and partisan.

Contests are usually held in the afternoon and can stretch well into the night, with entertainment, food, and drink embellishing the spectacle. We hoped that the spectacle would take place while we were visiting.

The port was crowded with visitors, but walking in the bright, vivid maritime atmosphere was a delight in itself. There was an opportunity to visit a church, but as it was up a steep hill and it was now blazing hot, we decided instead to enjoy the ambience. There was a pleasant small square just back from the port, and a crowd had formed around a band that was playing. Especially impressive was the young drummer – heaps of energy and quite skilled.

About time for déjeuner, so we moved back down to the port and while walking past the large fishing vessels, picked out a restaurant. We decided on this one

because of the name – one of our favourite French songs (a fun performance, with English subtitles). A large, cool sangria refreshed us as we ordered some seafood dishes. They were huge – I had sardines and struggled to finish them

and Lisette dined on cuttlefish, prawns and grilled tuna.

The meals were delicious, obviously plentiful and good value. I finished off with an amarena ice cream from a glacier (ice cream shop) nearby.

A walk was clearly in order after that meal, and we had been recommended to take a promenade down a nearby street – “You won’t be disappointed”. We weren’t – it was a highlight. As the sketch on the wall explained:

All along the houses were decorated with murals, flowers and novelties, and we sauntered past a diverse range of wall art.

Far from the madding crowd, it was a delightful way to work off some of the calories.

Walking back, the jousting was about to get started. The bleachers that had been set up turned out to be free for anyone to use. And the covered aspect made it a little more comfortable, given the hot and sunny afternoon. First, the band we had watched earlier marched down to the seating on the side of the canal opposite where we were and set up towards one end. They provided music for the duration. Next, the teams of jousters paraded down to their boats. Soon after, the jousting proper commenced with the two boats charging towards each other. At the stern of each, two musicians with a drum and an oboe played a traditional tune (la pẽna) to set the rhythm for the rowers. For about half of the encounters, there would be a clash of poles, which may or may not result in a fall. The remaining times, something might not be to the jousters’ satisfaction, and they would just raise their lances and salute as they passed each other.

Here’s a typical scoring contest

and again, with the clash in slow motion

Great fun and spectacular. We spent nearly two hours enjoying the contests before we thought it was time to catch the bus back to Catharina.

When we arrived, the quay at Frontignan was quite busy and exciting. The high wind, which was blowing away from the moorings, made it tricky for those attempting to moor. Also, we were concerned that if too many boats arrived, we would be forced to leave and tackle the Étang de Thau in windy weather, as our three-night limit would expire tomorrow. We had the capitaine’s consent to overstay, provided there was room. Weather-wise, we expected tomorrow to be very windy and probably also the day after. Fortunately, the quay did not fill completely that night.

For those paying attention to the dates, perhaps you have noticed that Monday was July 14th, Fête Nationale (Bastille Day). So local events and celebrations had been organised for the day. Marches, concerts, food and drink and, of course, jousting. The day started with a parade through town, a band playing and jousters following. They finished not at the Mairie (town hall) as would normally be the case, but at a memorial honouring jousting just near where Catharina was moored. The jousters formed a guard of honour and the band played mournful music as the town officials laid wreaths at the foot of the memorial.

After déjeuner, later in the afternoon, the crowds gathered upstream of the lifting bridge, and at about 5 pm, the jousting began. It was very similar to what had taken place yesterday in Sète. The difference, for us, was that the event continued well into the night.

At one point, there was a performance, behind the stands, by a local drum band – similar to that we had seen and heard in Avignon, although they weren’t marching.

At 10:30 pm, the mandatory feu d’artifice (fireworks) display began. It was one of the better ones we have seen and had a spectacular finale.

After that, a concert began given by a very professional group of musicians, dancers and singers. Added enjoyment. When we left for Catharina, not long before midnight; the concert and the jousting were both still in full flight.

The next morning, it was forecast to be hot and windy as the day progressed. So we decided to cool off in the Mediterranean. The beach was a little further than the one at Maguelone, but an easy cycle. The Frontignan beach was a delight. It was quiet, and just behind it was a small collection of shops and a couple of restaurants. Very much a ‘seaside’ vibe. The swimming area was protected, and it had a sandy bottom, so much easier to get in and out than the pebbly one at Maguelone. So we had a pleasant swim

and a pizza and beer for lunch. Cool and refreshed, we returned to the port. Things had become tricky. The port was now almost full, and the capitaine insisted that we would not only have to leave tomorrow, but we would also have to move this evening. The other side of the port had a quay that was marked ‘No Mooring” and only two widely spaced bollards (used by hotel boats). No services. Not a problem usually, but we needed to fill up with some water. The capitaine was politely insistent that we move, and we were polite in return (thankful we had been allowed even one extra night), so she allowed us to start taking on water – but we had to leave the next morning regardless. Unfortunately, this was the slowest water delivery I have ever experienced; it was under 5 litres/min – 10 is slow, 20 is average). It took over three hours to fill the tank.

While this was happening, Lisette rang the capitainerie at Marseillan, who were expecting us the day after tomorrow. They confirmed that we could come a day early and gave rough instructions as to where to moor – but to call them as we approached. When the water fill finished, it was time to move across the port. The wind was very strong, but fortunately, it was blowing us directly across the port, so we were able to glide across slowly, and the wind held us against the quay while Lisette set the ropes on the two widely spaced bollards. Not ideal, but OK in the circumstances. So, to wait for one more day for less wind was now struck from the plan, so Marseillan was going to be our destination tomorrow. To avoid the wind as much as possible on the Étang, we decided on an early departure.

Marseillan

I fired up our trusty DAF engine and we cast off at 6:30 am for the expected three-hour cruise to Marseillan.

Fortunately, there was almost no wind, so we cruised off smoothly, leaving the Canal du Rhône à Sète, and by 7 am, we were out into the Étang de Thau. It was calm, and we made steady progress, following the route marked by red and green buoys, helped by our navigation software, PC Navigo, which showed us the correct path on the navigation screen. We were even able to relax a little and appreciate the scenery on both sides, the two small towns

and the oysterbeds and activities around them. Boats are strictly forbidden to approach the oyster beds, and it is also forbidden to use toilets that discharge into the water.

After an uneventful cruise, Lisette called up the port, which disavowed any knowledge about our arrival. We were quite early and he suggested we chat later with whoever was in charge; meanwhile, he agreed to direct us to the pontoon outside the harbour. We had reconnoitred that landing about 15 years ago when, ignorant of all the possibilities of a cruising lifestyle, we had, nonetheless, a dream that travelling on a barge would be a “good thing”.

At the time, we spent about five days in Marseillan (on a road trip) and loved the town. Returning here has been on our barging bucket list from day one.

The pontoon was a bit fragile, rusty and an inconvenient height, but, most problematically, there was no possibility to set ropes from onboard Catharina. I had to hold against the mooring while Lisette took ropes from the bow and stern, carried them across the uneven wooden platform, threaded them through rings on the jetty and brought them back aboard. Anyhow, we were reasonably secure, fendered against the rusty structure with the wind blowing mostly from astern. Then we checked in with the capitainerie and paid the outrageously high mooring fees for two nights, but took a little comfort in that, as we had arrived early, we had almost two full days to enjoy this delightful town.

First, a bit more nostalgia:

When we visited in 2010, we had no idea that a cruising lifestyle was a thing, but we did have one necessary ingredient: the dream of one day travelling on a barge in France. The first up close experience we had of a barge was a hotel boat moored at the jetty in Marseillan (you’ll recognise it was the same jetty Catharina was now occupying). So we took a picture. A little later, I edited the image in Photoshop and added some dimension to the dream of taking a barge cruise by pasting us onto the barge.

For the five nights we spent in Marseillan on that previous visit, we stayed in what we would now call an AirBNB in the middle of the town. Lovely house with three storeys and a rooftop deck. Our first stop in town was the house we had stayed in fifteen years ago.

Next, we walked to the nearby church (St Jean-Baptiste), which used to wake us up every hour on the hour all night long, with a second set of peals a few minutes after the first. The latter is to be sure you do catch the time in case you drop off again after the first bout. Common in many French villages. It’s a beautifully maintained church, as one would expect from an affluent tourist town. The most striking features were two setback chapels with a delicate pastel backlighting.

As befits a seaside town in the south of France, Marseillan has three glaciers amongst the multitude of restaurants. Two of them had amarena ice creams, so sampling was required and enjoyed several times during our stay.

In the afternoon, I explored nearby, passing the famed Maison Noilly Prat, where one of France’s most famous vermouth spirits is produced. At the time it was closed, but we did walk through the boutique the next day, although we did not have time for a tour.

Further around, I found a local winery, Domaine La Madeline Saint Jean – recommended but also closed when I arrived. Something for tomorrow. As I walked back, there was an opportunity to get a shot of Catharina with the boats at the top of the port.

The port is very busy. The majority is taken up by smaller boats that are presumably owned by locals, which is why larger boats such as ours are relegated to the outside.

The entrance to the port was where the passing hire boats would moor. There were plenty of them that arrived as the day wore on, and somehow, the capitains managed to squeeze about ten of them into the small space reserved for them. Watching them arrive and the gyrations required for them to get moored provided entertainment while we ate dinner aboard.

In the cool of the evening (day temperatures were still in the high 30’s), we walked along the port and stopped for tapas. There, we were offered a local wine, Picpoul, with added ice.

It was both delicious and refreshing. Subsequently, we’ve established that it is both popular and cheap. It’s accurately described as a crisp, light-bodied, low-alcohol, high-acidity wine – perfect for summer drinking. The next day included a visit to a wine cave to collect a few bottles of Picpoul de Penet to tide us over until we could resupply.

As déjeuner was approaching, we made a dash for the winery and, after some extensive tasting, left with a dozen and a half bottles perched precariously on the back of our bikes. Good price and good taste.

Oysters are the signature dish in Marseillan, featured in sculpture

and on this polished steel render on the side of what we call the Hotel Bristol (its name in 2010). The black rectangles represent the oyster beds, and the polished surface reflects the roof of the nearby building and sky.

A photo doesn’t do it justice; you have to walk and watch as the reflections shimmer and wave with the change in aspect and the slight imperfections in the smoothness of the steel wall.

So it was seafood again for lunch, starting with oysters for Lisette

and a bouillabaisse soup for me, followed by stuffed cuttlefish for Lisette and pan-fried fish for me. To drink, a nice chilled bottle of Picpoul. Very nice.

The attentive amongst you may have noticed a stand near the hotel – for guess what? Yes, it was jousting time again in the afternoon. The crowds gathered along the quays.

The format was virtually identical to the previous two events of the last week – dare I say we were getting a bit blazé about it all. Still, it was entertaining to watch them for half an hour or so.

But, along with the jousting festivities, there was a large art, craft and food market surrounding the town end of the port. Lisette had an etching made on a piece of slate as a gift for our grandson, Shotaro,

and we drifted into a light dinner at 10 pm to finish off our stay in this charming and interesting town. Well worth the visit, and I expect we will pause again on our return trip sometime in the future – but tomorrow, finally, the Midi …