This is an authorized translation in English of a post in French by Vincent Le Roy (@vincentleroy): La Saga PLOUF [Episode 8] : Les petites mains au boulot

Remember that the person who speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (@vcelier), but Vincent Le Roy (@vincentleroy), a French guy.

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Note: "Plouf", in French, is an onomatopoeia that phonetically imitates the sound of an object that falls in the water. The equivalent in English would be "Plop" or "Splash". That is a strange name for a boat!

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Brief summary of previous episodes

In January 2016, I am given a boat, a tiny sailboat. A kid's dream. Her name is Plouf. And in fact the canoe is in a state not possible and I do not know much except sailing. I tell you the journey that I traveled with this small boat, that have become my fourth baby! Full steam ahead for her first big cleaning ...!

The PLOUF Saga [Part 8 of 17] - Little hands at work

The first three glasses of white made me happy. René too. It must be said that the framework lends itself to it. Terrace, sun and t-shirt for a February 5th! The children finally arrive. Of course, they are not hungry. They got up half an hour ago, and their belly is full of brioche and this fecking Nutella. It does not change anything. René and I, we are hungry! And thirsty!

13.30. Back to the hold. René shows the children how to apply antifooling. Let's go! and in less than an hour, both layers are applied. On the bridge, I remove what the pressure cleaner did not. Sincerely, she has changed my Plouf and she starts to look good. René screwed the rudder shaft and Ronan came to see us. Everything is OK now.

A little euphoric, I follow Ronan to the hardware store. There, he prepared for me a box with the regulatory safety equipment. To be stored on board in a dry space! I buy new cleats and three new fenders. The original ones have done their time. I want a top boat. In short, the bank card begins to heat up. I will quickly understand that the maintenance of a boat is what costs the most. The boat itself is nothing. But given the size of Plouf, it remains within my means, so no limit.

16.30. The boat looks brand new. The sun begins to go down and the sea to rise. Plouf will soon be able to rejoin his pontoon. Some photos to memorize the moment. Anyway, Yann will come at 19:00 to take care of us with "Ours Seul", the same as the morning, but in the other direction. We have plenty of time to go for a few drinks ...

René leaves me around 18:00. We drank more than reasonable. Fortunately I can do everything on foot here. I stay at the bar waiting for the fateful hour. My phone is ringing. It's Julien. It is he who will do the maneuver, he picks me up at the pontoon H. No sooner said than done.

Plouf floats serenely. This grooming did him good. Night has fallen and we bring the canoe back to its place. The next step is already in my mind. The first sea trip on Plouf. As it is Julien's old boat, I suggest that he should be there for the first time. He is delighted. I am especially reassured because to go out alone, sincerely, I am too afraid to make a stupid mistake.

Today is Wednesday and the navigation is scheduled for Friday morning. Yann will install the engine on Thursday. I only have to buy gas and mix it up. I can go to bed, tired but happy. Leaving the pontoon, I told Plouf: You see, I told you that you were going back to sea.

-- Vincent Le Roy (@vincentleroy)

(to be continued)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7

All photos are property of @vincentleroy and under copyright