It's the only shipyard between Agde and Castelsarrasin on the Canal du Midi. Located at Port la Robine in the commune of Sallèles d'Aude, Cathare Marine is a river boatyard like no other. Gildas Jardin, who took over the company four years ago, has an amused view of the situation: " It's open-bar when it comes to boat styles! When I first arrived, I didn't understand everything: steel boats are almost the rule. There are lots of Dutch launches, but also floating apartments, mobile homes on barge, catamarans with can floats... "
A spirit of freedom, for how long?
The spirit of freedom is alive and well here, even if the Voies navigables de France (VNF) is trying to bring some order to the squats and abandoned boats. One way of doing this is to raise the price of berths. The price of a berth has doubled in just a few years. For the rest, Cathare Marine has its work cut out. Gildas Jardin continues: " I have the only slipway in the region, and it's a great location. So there's no shortage of business for me, either in boat repairs or breakdown services. My only limit is a lifting capacity of 15 tons. Beyond that, you have to go to Agde to get more than 45 T ." Except that it takes about two days of navigation and a hundred locks to get through...
Adapting to the heat, now more than ever
With his team, Gildas Jardin has adapted: " Initially, I was more interested in polyester and painting. I might as well say that I've since trained myself in mechanics and welding. Depending on requirements, in addition to a salaried employee, I can count on short contracts, and for a time I called on the services of a wood carpenter. But most of my work involves maintenance and repair of steel hulls and keels ."
Cathare Marine faces the challenge of accurately gauging the evolution of its business. Demand for Cathare Marine is strong, but river tourism has suffered in recent years due to the drought in the region, especially since a large number of plane trees have had to be felled due to disease: " These plane trees have been replanted, but we know that it will take ten years or so for the shade to return. This also poses water shortage problems ." Gildas Jardin anticipates these adjustments. " In any case, I'm not short of work, as my activity is spread out over the whole year ." Maintenance and major repairs take up most of the winter, while summer activity starts early with its share of repairs...
