Rochefort is a port located on the Charente, about ten miles inland. Its situation makes it frequented as much by river boaters as by pleasure or commercial sailors. A pontoon in front of the rope factory allows you to wait on the river, until the doors of the basins open around high tide. This is an ideal stopover for discovering the city's treasures, and they are numerous.
A mushroom city
Rochefort was only a hamlet when the young Louis Fourteen decided in 1666 to build an arsenal. It was first of all the building of the rope factory that emerged from the ground, or rather from the vases. 372 meters long and 8 meters wide, it allowed for the use of ropes that were one encablure long. In only five years, a military pole is built, then shipyards with their forms of radoubs and finally a whole city. It is difficult to imagine today the liveliness generated by the thousand jobs necessary for the arming and maintenance of ships.
An arsenal to discover with your nose to the wind
By the riverside path, we will go along the rope factory until the forms of radoubs where the Hermione was built. After having exercised his skill as a sailor in the bends of the "Accro-mâts", you will not miss to visit the fascinating museum of the Navy. The streets of the city form a grid, and it is enough to get lost in the wind to discover one by one the vestiges of this arsenal which saw the launching of 550 ships until its disarming in 1927.
By gondola from one shore to the other
Rochefort is not only vestiges and the streets paved with ballast stones are commercial and animated. We will follow the Charente river until the transbordeur bridge, whose suspended gondola allows to cross the river in a few minutes. It is in the marshes of the left bank that the long pits were dug for the masts, where the pieces of wood for the spars were put to soak. Afterwards, don't forget to visit the very impressive school of naval medicine, where surgical instruments are kept that are more than disturbing!
Whimsical explorers
A visit to the Corderie Royale is of course a must, without forgetting the bookstore where you can find almost anything published on the theme of the sea. Among all the adventurers who left Rochefort, Pierre Loti holds a special place. In addition to his stories, he decorated the rooms of his house in the image of each of his voyages. This building, which is to be reopened after a thorough restoration, will be accessible to the public again in the summer of 2023. For those who appreciate the whimsical imagination of its creator, it is an immersion not to be missed.
An active commercial port
Close to the basins dedicated to pleasure boating, another one welcomes cargo ships from the commercial port. This one remains very active, and it is frequent to see ships maneuvering on the river around high tide, whether they enter the lock or go up to the docks of Tonnay-Charente. On the water, be careful to keep an eye on VHF channel 12 dedicated to port traffic and to stay out of the channel when they approach.
The city of Rochefort is made of white stone and is no longer a warrior city. On the other hand, each of the structures or buildings of the city speaks to us of the dreams of distant horizons of the sailors of the time. If only to share them, it is a stopover not to be missed!
