French for sailors

[Yealm]

Wondered if anyone knew of a simple list of useful French phrases that would help on a cruising trip

eg
Do you have a marina berths for a boat of such and such length, breadth and depth?!

 

[Sybarite]

Wondered if anyone knew of a simple list of useful French phrases that would help on a cruising trip

eg
Do you have a marina berths for a boat of such and such length, breadth and depth?!

I think that you will find that most marinas will get by with English. The trouble is that if you start off in French then they might continue in French.

I find that after more than 40 yrs in France when I speak in French some of them will automatically switch to English anyway.

I was in a shop yesterday when a salesman started speaking to me in English. I told him in fact that I had been longer in France than him...

PS That gives an insight about what the Windrush generation must feel...

 

[Cockaigne]

Best to arrange your arrival before or after lunch time.

 

[rotrax]

Voulez vous couchez avec moi ce soir?

 

[Yealm]

I think that you will find that most marinas will get by with English. The trouble is that if you start off in French then they might continue in French.

I find that after more than 40 yrs in France when I speak in French some of them will automatically switch to English anyway.

I was in a shop yesterday when a salesman started speaking to me in English. I told him in fact that I had been longer in France than him...

PS That gives an insight about what the Windrush generation must feel...

So when you call them up on the VHF as you’re coming into a marina would you speak in English?

 

[prv]

So when you call them up on the VHF as you’re coming into a marina would you speak in English?

I haven’t visited all that many French ports, but I wouldn’t call a marina there by VHF as a matter of course. It’s much less the done thing than it is here.

Check the pilot book for advice, keep an eye out for signs near the entrance (St Vaast for instance has a whiteboard where they mark up which pontoon different sizes of visiting boat should use), and head for either the visitors’ berths if designated or the “ponton d’acqueil” (welcome pontoon from which you can visit the office in person).

Pete

 

[Tranona]

Just google "French phrasebook for yachtsmen" will give you plenty of sources

 

[Uricanejack]

Jai dinna ken French pas

 

[Sybarite]

So when you call them up on the VHF as you’re coming into a marina would you speak in English?

You would normally see a sign indicating "visitors" or, very likely, there will be somebody on the water who would point out where to go. I have NEVER called a marina on VHF when looking for a berth. However I check with the capitainerie to see if I can stay where I tied up.

 

[Sybarite]

Voulez vous couchez avec moi ce soir?

Merci - mais non.

 

[macd]

eg
Do you have a marina berths for a boat of such and such length, breadth and depth?!

Be aware that most French marinas don't even call themselves "marina". "Port de..." or something similar is much more common. (Despite that, googling "Nice marina" gives surprisingly specific results )

 

[han34]

We call up in French if we are not met by someone at the entrance. Marinas are on C9, not 80 as in the UK. As had been said it's less common for people to call up but many do. If you listen to C9 you will hear people calling and you will hear the replies, this will give you the idea. People don't use the word marina, it's a port, pronounced 'por'. One difficulty is that the port names are not pronounced as you may think, so listen on C9 and you will get the hang of it.

 

[Cockaigne]

At popular marinas, during the busy season, one is often met at the entrance by someone in a dory who will direct you and may offer to help you berth.

For example, we visited Vannes a fortnight ago and were met downstream of the swing bridge by a man in a dory who asked if we wanted a catway in the town centre or further out, gave us a slip of paper with our berth number and the code for the security gates and sanitaires on it.

 

[dk]

I have a copy of a book called 'English/French sailing companion, by Emile R Schamp, which is brilliant. Not sure if it's still published though. Used to be produced by Transcommunications Ltd in Leics. Seem to remember they also did one about French food/restaurants, which was equally helpful.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/English-French-Sailing-Companion-Schamp/dp/0955302900

 

[[70521]]

There is a section in Reeds that you might find helpful. My lovely wife is fluent in French and German so I let her do all the communication stuff.

 

[TQA]

In anchorages you may find these phrases are required

tu es trop proche

bouge d'a viande [to be used with caution if the skipper is bigger than you]

 

[<152587>]

In anchorages you may find these phrases are required

tu es trop proche

bouge d'a viande [to be used with caution if the skipper is bigger than you]

That would start you off on the wrong foot with a French person, they are very particular regarding the tu/vous title. You would only use tu to a child or someone you are very familiar with. Definitely not a stranger in any circumstance.

 

[BelleSerene]

bouge d'a viande [to be used with caution if the skipper is bigger than you]

Oh, 'bouge ta viande'. 'Move your ass', with a bit of a sexual connotation. Perhaps the erudite Sybarite will drop by to refine my appreciation, if not my language.

 

[johnalison]

French for sailors is 'matelots'.

Any attempt to communicate in their ridiculously prolix language is doomed to failure, so I gave up bothering years ago after our daughter was given peppermint-flavoured milk instead of the lemonade which I had clearly ordered.

 

[prv]

That would start you off on the wrong foot with a French person, they are very particular regarding the tu/vous title. You would only use tu to a child or someone you are very familiar with. Definitely not a stranger in any circumstance.

I was taught at school that insults and abuse are to be delivered with "tu" - given TQA's second phrase, presumably this was the intent?

Pete