The Launch
Our catamaran had been launched a few days prior to our arrival in Les Sables-d’Olonne France with all our pre-shipped boxes loaded aboard. Unfortunately we couldn’t be there, but we got the next best thing – a video capturing the big moment.
The Handover
We arrived at the ‘Lagoon Dock*’ around 11-ish on the 5th July to meet with Joe, the TMG representative, who was waiting with scissors in hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony which was an awesome surprise. Other welcoming touches were in place including a boxed set of champagne with two glasses and a beautiful orchid. Once the ‘Welcome’ was completed, Joe proceeded to methodically work through all internal and external sections and systems of the boat. It was a huge amount of information to take in and somewhat overwhelming, a bit like trying to drink at a fire hydrant!! We were also presented with a small mountain of documentation and manuals which we are still working through. This part of the handover took up most of the day, and we were well and truly ready for a wine at the end.
The next morning we were back onboard for motoring, steering and docking practice. We motored to a quiet section of the marina and Joe demonstrated how to manouvre the boat on and off a side on dock. Fortunately, the channel was quiet with only a slight wind. Both of us had the opportunity to practice manouvring and docking, though it was limited to 2 – 3 go’s each. In hindsight we would have benefited from more opportunity to practice docking, to manouvre and dock in differing wind conditions and types of docks, and also reverse or Mediterranean docking. On our return to the Lagoon dock and in preparation for the afternoon test sail, Joe and Peter unpacked and hoisted the Code 0.
Our First Sail
Following lunch, the big event we had been waiting for had finally arrived, our first sail on Sea Goddess in the local waters off of Les Sables-d’Olonne. What an awesome afternoon, we were stoked, hooked, beaming from ear to ear. Initially we sailed with the mainsail and the Code 0, and then decided to try out our new spinnaker which was brilliant. Peter and Joe on the transom, and Sandra enjoying every moment at the helm. Joe captured all the key moments via a drone, check out the short snippet below.
Naming Ceremony
We were out for a good few hours and returned to the marina late afternoon. Much to our surprise and delight Joe from TMG had organised a Christening/Naming Ceremony for Sea Goddess complete with champagne and olive branch. We both recited the following words:
‘Oh mighty ruler of the Seas, to whom those who venture upon your Oceans must pay homage. We ask that you take this beautiful vessel under your care. We ask that you guard her with your mighty trident and ensure her safe passage throughout your realm. May she keep us and our crew of merry mates safe in rough seas and grant them fast passage across your Seas and across your Oceans’.
We all raised our glasses of champagne and toasted:
‘To Neptune, To the Sailors of Old, To Sailing Vessel Sea Goddess.’
We poured the remaining champagne over the bow to appease King Neptune, and the olive branch was lain on the deck to ensure safe return to shore. Another super special moment!
The final part of the handover was signing of documentation to officially transfer ownership of the boat and relevant warranties etc. So it was a truly awesome Saturday, and after all the planning, organising, visualising, and waiting for this moment to arrive a bit surreal. Bottom line we were in love with this boat!
We spent all of Sunday cleaning the interior of Sea Goddess and unpacking 23 large boxes of stuff. As with any shipment of this kind there was a lot of washing to be done – bedding, towels, kitchenware, and then we had to work out where everything would be stored. We didn’t overthink the ‘where’ as we figured things would shift and move as we lived onboard and started sailing. We eventually got there and had everything set up by the end of the day.
Tour of Lagoon HQ
On the following morning and at our request, TMG organised a tour of Lagoon production facilities. Joe picked us up from the hotel and after a 40 minute drive we arrived at the factory. Vianney, our tour guide provided a brief orientation, as well as safety vests, socks and closed toe shoes. The tour was great, starting in the fibreglass section, then onto the fit out production line, to a final water test in a large ‘swimming’ pool. Vianney explained each stage of the build process, and we were amazed to learn that the factory currently produces two boats every three days. If that wasn’t amazing enough our final stop was a large outside area where at least 20 catamarans were ‘parked’ awaiting transport to Les Sab. Oh and another interesting fact that we didn’t know – the semi trailer driver does not control the movement of the trailer/catamaran as it makes its way to Les Sab, this is performed remotely by a staff member in a following car.
After we returned to Les Sab from the factory tour, together with Joe we visited Robin Marine to try and establish when our freezers would arrive and be installed, and to have the MMSI number programmed. Then onto Sailing Atlantic Services (SAS) to arrange the mandatory name plaque and to query the invoice for import handling and export fees. Back to the car, Joe drove us to VendeeVous (next door to the local railway station) to arrange the design and production of signage for our catamaran. This was a simple process as we already had a good idea regarding font styles and colours for the boat name and website details on the boom. Ask for Claire, who created a design that mirrored our preferences and requirements, on time and on budget (Claire also speaks some English). The cost included their staff coming to the catamaran and putting the signage on the boat and tender. Check out their website via this link https://www.vendeevous.fr/
That evening Joe our TMG representative invited us to dinner at Le Galway, a nearby restaurant. All in all a great evening, great company, food and wine. So with the formalities over we look forward to moving onboard in a couple of days time.
Special thanks to Joe, as well as Vianney and Vincent (from Lagoon France) for their assistance and advice during the handover and set up process.
In our next blog we chat about the remainder of our time in Les Sables-d’Olonne and our thoughts about this pretty seaside town.
*The Lagoon dock. A specific section of the marina is used by Lagoon to dock all new boats once launched. This allows Lagoon staff and commissioning agent staff to finalise the fit out, and for ease of handover.