l’Olivette People No.7

Francois, Pointu owner.

Pointu owner Francois  is another of the many fabulous characters who you will often see at the Port l’Abri de l’Olivette. Kanabistro, the name of his Pointu maybe gives you a little clue to his character. Tall and always tanned you can’t miss him in his straw sunhat wearing nothing but denim cut offs. Kanabistro is also the only boat in the port without a motor so  Francois has quite a lot of muscles from all the rowing he does. If you ever see a white and yellow Pointu out on the water with only oars then it will without doubt be Francois.

I interviewed him a couple of months ago for my series ‘Olivette People’. We had a chat while he was preparing his boat to go back into the water.

Francois, how long have you owned your Pointu?

Kanabistro is my first ever boat and I have had it for 20 years. The ‘Association de l’Abri de l’Olivette’ helped me with the renovation. I didn’t really know what I was doing but the senior members here taught me how to repair Pointus. The older guys here are the ones with the knowledge and they were and still are happy to share their knowledge with me.

Most of the Pointus in the l’Abri are exclusively made of wood, there are no plastic parts. There are a few exceptions but we are trying to maintain the boats in the same way they used to be maintained in the past. We want to be able to go to sea using the oars only, as you can see there is no engine on my boat.

How many people can you take out on Kanabistro?

I can have up to 10 people on my boat because my deck is completely flat, there is no “coffre”. However 6-8 people is ideal. You are supposed to have a life jacket for every person on the boat so because I am solely responsible for the people I have on board I prefer to keep it to less than 8.

Do you know where your Pointu was built?

My boat was built in Nice. Originally it belonged to a senior member of the association here before he sold it to me. I made a few changes to it but otherwise it’s pretty much the same. Sadly there are less and less pointus around the Cap so we try to keep those that are at the port “alive”. By that I mean we try to restore them using traditional methods and using only wood.

The Olivette really is the last “untouched” area of the Cap, so we are trying to protect it as much as possible through  various heritage preservation activities.

How far can you go on a Pointu?

You can go as far as 5 miles away from the coast, but it depends on the size of your fuel tank. Another option is to also add a mast, a sail and use the wind if you want. You can also easily sail to Nice, following the coast. However, you should always make sure that people can reach you, should you need help.

I always have oars on the boat as I have had a problem with the engine for 2 years. Therefore I can’t go very far, and the boat is heavy too. Luckily I don’t need to go a long way to find beautiful spots.

Were you around boats a lot when you were younger?

No, not at all. I was born in Paris, but as soon as I was old enough to live by myself, I moved to the Cap, I was 18. Since then I have never felt the need to leave this beautiful place. I never got bored of the landscape.

What made you decide to buy a Pointu at the Port here?

I decided to buy a boat here because my wife’s great grandfather built the Olivette port. She is from the Cap d’Antibes. Basically you have to be sponsored by someone from the association to buy a boat and enrol so that’s what I did.

What do you love about the place?

This part of the Cap is not massively built up and that is what I love about the place. It’s also very accessible. Many people and families come for picnics so there is always a nice atmosphere. I really hope that this place remains the same for as long as possible. There are only 20 of us taking care of the Port and working to keep it as traditional as possible. My wife obviously knows a lot about the history of the port because of her great grand-father and also because there is a great tradition of sailing in her family.

Would you say your Pointu is a passion?

Being on the Sea is what I am passionate about. I think I should have been a sailor. I always dream about the sea at night and I take sailing and everything about the sea very seriously. Having the Pointu is a good compromise for me, I can dream about sailing and actually get to go on a boat myself also I don’t have to sail too far to see beautiful things.

Read Story No.6 here

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