D
own in south Brittany, we
have a favourite estuary that
few visitors discover. The Étel
River meets the sea seven miles
east of Lorient and most boats
pass it well clear on passages
down to Quiberon Bay and the Morbihan. This
is often a wise move because the low sandy
shore is potentially hostile in onshore winds,
especially if Atlantic swell starts breaking over
the coastal shoals.
But on a still sunny day, you can skirt
the long straight dunes about a mile
off until, near a south cardinal tower
called Roheu, the mouth of the
Étel comes abeam. On the west
side of the entrance stands
what looks like a small
bungalow with a steep-
pitched Breton roof and
a mast on its gable end.
This is the legendary
Sémaphore d’Étel, a signal
station that once guided boats
safely inshore by swinging
a mechanical arm on its mast
to indicate ‘steer starboard,
steer port or steady as she goes’.
The shifting sandbanks and bar off the
river have always been tricky for navigators
and there has been a semaphore here since- Then Étel focused on sardine fishing
and later turned to tunny as sardine shoals
declined. By the 1930s, Étel was one of the
busiest tunny ports in France, with more
than 250 sailing vessels and a dozen
canning factories.
That’s a huge fleet bringing in unimaginable
tonnages. The sémaphoriste was busy in those
days, the vital pilot who knew the latest quirks
of the approach channel but never needed to
go to sea to guide ships in! The last semaphore
operator, Madame Josiane Péné, recently
retired after 36 years.
While the Étel bar is dangerous in heavy
onshore weather, there’s no problem on quiet
summer days. Local boats come and go from about
three hours before high water to two hours after,
though I prefer to enter an hour or so before high.
Even then, the flood is usually pretty swift as you
shoot in between the dunes past a stark red beacon.
The town and its friendly marina are around a short
mile upstream on the east bank. Visitors berth at
a long outer pontoon, rounding into the stream
to come alongside.We like Étel for its sporting entrance and because
the place has a refreshing salty zest created by
fast-moving water. Further upstream beyond
a suspension bridge, the river opens into a
fascinating inland sea – Ria d’Étel – dotted with
small islands that have drying channels between
them. This intricate tidal gulf is ideal for growing
succulent oysters, another excellent reason for
calling here on a south Brittany cruise.The Sémaphore d’Étel had a swinging
mechanical arm on its mast to indicate ‘steer
starboard, steer port or steady as she goes’PETER CUMBERLIDGE: Down on the south Brittany coast, the Étel River has a tricky entrance of
shifting sands and a historic semaphore signal station, which once guided the fi shing fl eet across the barCUMBERLIDGE
ON CRUISING
COLUMNSThe Étel river mouth
is safe to enter in
fi ne weatherSémaphore d’Étel
used to lead boats
safely inshoreThe town marina
has a friendly
atmosphereÉtel
RiverRia d’ÉtelQuiberon
BaySémaphore
d’Étel signalstation
BarSuspensionbridge
MorbihanAtlantic
OceanLorientÉtelNBRITTANYÎLE DE
GROIXnautical miles0 5 10