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Email from Linda Thalman, via the Internet: Monday, 22. March 1999:-

Exciting Sailing Weekend In Brittany

LindaThalm
2005-12-02 17:23:02

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and warm tropical seas - meantphoto: the crew I was really ready for a regatta in the Atlantic on a 9.8-metre boat - ship? - floating piece of plastic?
These kind-looking people answered the author's every question, very politely - when they had time.

I certainly was able to ask good technical questions, like: 'When do we start?' 'When do we finish?' 'What in the world are these 29 different colored cords for?' 'Starboard is on the left or right of the boat?' 'What did you just say?'

This brings me to Tip Seven: You can greatly improve your French vocabulary when sailing by picking up an understanding of such valuable phrases as: 'Let it - don't ask me which cord - One of Them! - out now!' 'Tack, now!' 'Jibbing, now!' and 'Buoy straight ahead! now!'

Also added were very valuable nautical conversational bits such as: "We've got a nice white rope wrapped around both propeller blades" and even more useful was: "We've run aground" and "Yes, that was a boat we sideswiped just before hitting the pontoon."

Another piece of good news: besides actually seeing the sun on Sunday, our team - 'crew' - in boat-speak - came in among the top ten. Fifth out of nine teams. Hey, not bad.

Our skipper - yep, it is 'skipper' in French, too - bravely led us to near victory! Our crew hailed from Ireland, France, England, Scotland and the U.S.A. At least we all spoke English, except for official boat-speak, and we did not have to know how to say 'Man Overboard' or 'Our boat has just capsized' in French.

In case you need them, there are a few perfectly correct expressions in French that just might come in handy for your next cruise on a Bateau Mouche on the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, such as 'Nous coulons, now!' or 'Le bateau est en train ...