Food markets in the centre of the old town
If you are picking up your boat in La Rochelle here is some practical information to help make things go more smoothly. A big thank you to Gordon and Louise Coates, experienced cruisers and MultiHull Solutions brand ambassadors for sharing their experiences which form the basis of the information shared below, and made our time in La Rochelle so much easier. Its a lovely town, click here for some photos to help you get a feel for it. We already sent a heap of gear ahead of us. Click here to see the list.
Expectations
So you have ordered your boat and the countdown begins. In our case our production slot was booked 10 months in advance and all we had to go on was "mid-July 2018", the 3rd of 5 Helia 44s in July, hull 236. We booked our Accommodation in April from 16th of July for 10 days and flights were booked around the same time. We nailed it in terms of timing as our boat went in the water the day after we arrived!
July is a busy time in the midst of summer holidays and through August we knew there would be 2-3 weeks with many businesses and workshops closing or running on a skeleton staff so we were always nervous about being up against the clock. Anything we needed to change or add "last minute" would be challenging and potentially set us back. Some things take longer in France than you might expect and it can be hard at first to slow down and be patient. All the workshops close for lunch and overtime is unheard of! Try notify Uchimata in advance of any jobs you think you might want them to do when you are there. Its hard for them to add things at the last minute and this may cause delays in departure and its better to take jobs off than put them on the list. The Uchimata team were amazing. These guys know FPs inside out, how to take them apart to fit things in and make it look easy doing those "little jobs" that would turn into big jobs if you tried to do them yourselves. A really nice bunch of guys as well and we did manage to have a farewell drink with a few of them the day before we left. Interestingly they said they rarely got invited to drinks or boat christenings so we are pleased to have invited them.
Initially the boat was delivered to the hardstand in the boatyard near the Maritime Museum. I would have loved to see it come off the truck but no-one seems to be able to tell you exactly when this will happen. That said, it will generally be in the morning due to the need to close roads etc. Most boats will be here for just 24 hours, and antifoul is done here. Make sure to get Uchimata onto doing the Prop-speed asap as there is not much time to do 2 coats. ITIKI only stayed in the water here for less than a day and they took her around to the the Fountaine dock near the Capitanerie for about 5 days. FP are doing their after factory work before handing over to Uchimata and you won't have access (officially). Finally we had to move around to the Professional Dock outside Uchimata's workshop, where you can expect about 5 days. Both are part of the Port de Plaisance complex and they manage the shower facilities nearby.
After the handover to Uchimata we were able to access the boat in the evening after they finished work, and even took her for a spin on the weekend. Note your fuel tanks will be pretty empty so fill up before going anywhere.
Also highly recommend a FP factory tour while you are here, your sales agent should be able to arrange this.
Accommodation
There are plenty of options available on the various websites. We opted for an loft apartment on the south side of the Vieux Port, near the popular Hotel St Nicholas. The area is lively with plenty of restaurants, and its good to have the option to cook and dine in and do washing. The older buildings will of course have challenges like narrow staircases to haul your luggage up and limited options for parking nearby, which means shuffling your car around and getting some exercise. The area around Rue de la Sciere would also be a good option with plenty of free parking during the day, and close to Uchimata, the Professional Dock and the Chandlery.
Car rental
We had a rental car the whole time we were in LR. Some days we didn't use it, but it was really handy when we did. If you organise this in advance you can usually get a good deal online and it ended up costing us 30E per day. We took an excursion up to Bordeaux for a couple of days while we were waiting for access to ITIKI and also went to Ikea.
Mobile Phone
You can buy an Orange Holiday pre-paid SIM at the Orange store in La Rochelle. The Orange Holiday SIM and plan will give you calls, text and most importantly data throughout most of the coastal med (except Turkey). If you buy it in the Orange store they will register your ID and have you up and running immediately. It needs to be topped up every 14 days as the credit only lasts that long. Its 20E per fortnight so a couple may want to share a SIM if you only need one number. You can do this online. Note of caution: If the Orange store is busy they may send you to a "Tabac" to buy the SIM. Try to avoid this if you can as you may end up with the wrong kind of card, plus you have to set it all up yourself. Come back when they are not so busy.
Gas bottles
Uchimata supplied us with a couple of small bottles and a regulator to get us by when we moved on board. We bought 2 x 17kg bottles from Carrefour Market in Aytre which is 2kms from the professional dock. They are basically swap and go bottles. When we were there they had a deal on where you only paid an extra Euro to buy your first bottle (we bought 2 "first bottles :-)
Shopping
There is a huge Zone Commercial called Beaulieu in an area called Puilboreau. There are multiple sections to it and it is worth driving around it to see what is there. If you put 2 Rue de Belgique into your Navman or Google Maps it will take you to one of the entrances and its easy to find your way around the complex from there. A number of stores offer "Click and Collect" which is handy if they don't have the item you need in stock at the time.
Here you will find:
Decathalon
Some marine gear, sporting equipment, sports clothing. We bought some yoga mats and exercise bands here as well as an 20L soft cooler bag and cooler bricks. Life ring and life jackets are cheaper than the chandlery.
Darty
For electronics - we bought our printer from here. HP Deskjet 3700 series, nice and compact.
Leroy Merlin
A large hardware store, Bunnings style.
Expectations
So you have ordered your boat and the countdown begins. In our case our production slot was booked 10 months in advance and all we had to go on was "mid-July 2018", the 3rd of 5 Helia 44s in July, hull 236. We booked our Accommodation in April from 16th of July for 10 days and flights were booked around the same time. We nailed it in terms of timing as our boat went in the water the day after we arrived!
July is a busy time in the midst of summer holidays and through August we knew there would be 2-3 weeks with many businesses and workshops closing or running on a skeleton staff so we were always nervous about being up against the clock. Anything we needed to change or add "last minute" would be challenging and potentially set us back. Some things take longer in France than you might expect and it can be hard at first to slow down and be patient. All the workshops close for lunch and overtime is unheard of! Try notify Uchimata in advance of any jobs you think you might want them to do when you are there. Its hard for them to add things at the last minute and this may cause delays in departure and its better to take jobs off than put them on the list. The Uchimata team were amazing. These guys know FPs inside out, how to take them apart to fit things in and make it look easy doing those "little jobs" that would turn into big jobs if you tried to do them yourselves. A really nice bunch of guys as well and we did manage to have a farewell drink with a few of them the day before we left. Interestingly they said they rarely got invited to drinks or boat christenings so we are pleased to have invited them.
Initially the boat was delivered to the hardstand in the boatyard near the Maritime Museum. I would have loved to see it come off the truck but no-one seems to be able to tell you exactly when this will happen. That said, it will generally be in the morning due to the need to close roads etc. Most boats will be here for just 24 hours, and antifoul is done here. Make sure to get Uchimata onto doing the Prop-speed asap as there is not much time to do 2 coats. ITIKI only stayed in the water here for less than a day and they took her around to the the Fountaine dock near the Capitanerie for about 5 days. FP are doing their after factory work before handing over to Uchimata and you won't have access (officially). Finally we had to move around to the Professional Dock outside Uchimata's workshop, where you can expect about 5 days. Both are part of the Port de Plaisance complex and they manage the shower facilities nearby.
After the handover to Uchimata we were able to access the boat in the evening after they finished work, and even took her for a spin on the weekend. Note your fuel tanks will be pretty empty so fill up before going anywhere.
Also highly recommend a FP factory tour while you are here, your sales agent should be able to arrange this.
Accommodation
There are plenty of options available on the various websites. We opted for an loft apartment on the south side of the Vieux Port, near the popular Hotel St Nicholas. The area is lively with plenty of restaurants, and its good to have the option to cook and dine in and do washing. The older buildings will of course have challenges like narrow staircases to haul your luggage up and limited options for parking nearby, which means shuffling your car around and getting some exercise. The area around Rue de la Sciere would also be a good option with plenty of free parking during the day, and close to Uchimata, the Professional Dock and the Chandlery.
Car rental
We had a rental car the whole time we were in LR. Some days we didn't use it, but it was really handy when we did. If you organise this in advance you can usually get a good deal online and it ended up costing us 30E per day. We took an excursion up to Bordeaux for a couple of days while we were waiting for access to ITIKI and also went to Ikea.
Mobile Phone
You can buy an Orange Holiday pre-paid SIM at the Orange store in La Rochelle. The Orange Holiday SIM and plan will give you calls, text and most importantly data throughout most of the coastal med (except Turkey). If you buy it in the Orange store they will register your ID and have you up and running immediately. It needs to be topped up every 14 days as the credit only lasts that long. Its 20E per fortnight so a couple may want to share a SIM if you only need one number. You can do this online. Note of caution: If the Orange store is busy they may send you to a "Tabac" to buy the SIM. Try to avoid this if you can as you may end up with the wrong kind of card, plus you have to set it all up yourself. Come back when they are not so busy.
Gas bottles
Uchimata supplied us with a couple of small bottles and a regulator to get us by when we moved on board. We bought 2 x 17kg bottles from Carrefour Market in Aytre which is 2kms from the professional dock. They are basically swap and go bottles. When we were there they had a deal on where you only paid an extra Euro to buy your first bottle (we bought 2 "first bottles :-)
Shopping
There is a huge Zone Commercial called Beaulieu in an area called Puilboreau. There are multiple sections to it and it is worth driving around it to see what is there. If you put 2 Rue de Belgique into your Navman or Google Maps it will take you to one of the entrances and its easy to find your way around the complex from there. A number of stores offer "Click and Collect" which is handy if they don't have the item you need in stock at the time.
Here you will find:
Decathalon
Some marine gear, sporting equipment, sports clothing. We bought some yoga mats and exercise bands here as well as an 20L soft cooler bag and cooler bricks. Life ring and life jackets are cheaper than the chandlery.
Darty
For electronics - we bought our printer from here. HP Deskjet 3700 series, nice and compact.
Leroy Merlin
A large hardware store, Bunnings style.
Castorama
Another large hardware store. Most important product here is a spare suction handle for lifting floorboards (pictured). FP only give you one and it is very good at dropping the floorboards on your toes!
Conforama
Indoor and outdoor furniture, soft furnishings etc we bought our Webber BabyQ from them. Pick up is from the warehouse behind the storefront. Check that your hose length is long enough and also pick up a solid plate which are sold separately.
HyperU
Huge supermarket and variety store with some kitchenware and electronics thrown in. Great for provisioning although somewhat overwhelming.
Markets
There is a great food market in the centre of the old town every morning (see pic above). You can get fish, eggs, cheese, charcuterie and fruit and veg. There is a smaller (and pricier) Monday market at Port des Minimes in the parking lot near the Capintanerie.
There are a number of other markets including flea markets on various days. Check the link
Other useful stores
E LeClerc - 124 Blvd Andre Sautel
General groceries and variety store with good kitchenware, storage items, cleaning goods, auto section etc. We bought our pressure cooker here. They have a reasonable wine and spirits selection.
Running/Walking
Its great to get up early as nobody is around until well after 9 and the morning light is beautiful. From the old town head south along the breakwater towards Minimes. From Minimes you can go to the place (beach) and beyond that is a trail around the coast as far as you feel like. Stop to check out the Phare au bout du Monde replica from the Jules Verne books.
Another large hardware store. Most important product here is a spare suction handle for lifting floorboards (pictured). FP only give you one and it is very good at dropping the floorboards on your toes!
Conforama
Indoor and outdoor furniture, soft furnishings etc we bought our Webber BabyQ from them. Pick up is from the warehouse behind the storefront. Check that your hose length is long enough and also pick up a solid plate which are sold separately.
HyperU
Huge supermarket and variety store with some kitchenware and electronics thrown in. Great for provisioning although somewhat overwhelming.
Markets
There is a great food market in the centre of the old town every morning (see pic above). You can get fish, eggs, cheese, charcuterie and fruit and veg. There is a smaller (and pricier) Monday market at Port des Minimes in the parking lot near the Capintanerie.
There are a number of other markets including flea markets on various days. Check the link
Other useful stores
E LeClerc - 124 Blvd Andre Sautel
General groceries and variety store with good kitchenware, storage items, cleaning goods, auto section etc. We bought our pressure cooker here. They have a reasonable wine and spirits selection.
Running/Walking
Its great to get up early as nobody is around until well after 9 and the morning light is beautiful. From the old town head south along the breakwater towards Minimes. From Minimes you can go to the place (beach) and beyond that is a trail around the coast as far as you feel like. Stop to check out the Phare au bout du Monde replica from the Jules Verne books.
