I bring you back to wonderful coastal beautiful Morbihan dept 56 in my lovely Bretagne of my belle France I had this bit mingle with other posts and since it is sentimental to me decided to give it credit with a post of their own. Oh yes this is Etel! located 18 km from Auray, 30 km from Lorient ,30 km from Vannes, and 22 km from my house ! Let me tell you about the SNSM and hope you enjoy the post as I.
The SNSM or Société National de Sauvetages en Mer or something like the National Society of Rescues at Sea is a voluntary organisation in France founded in 1967 to lifeguard the beaches, sea aficionados, and boat owners getting them safe out of the water in case of mishaps; they do other functions such as taking the ashes of my mother Gladys , wife Martine, and father Elio out to sea burial at Honfleur (Normandie) . I am very attach and supporter of the org and a donor since 2008. I will be next…..eventually.
The Étel sea rescue station is located on Place des Thoniers, approximately 280 meters (less than 3 blocks) of the town’s marina. The Étel station was created in 1866, the year following the founding of the central company rescue of the shipwrecked by Empress Eugénie (Spanish wife of Napoléon III) ,This first shelter was destroyed, then replaced by a second in 1939, itself replaced by the current building in 1962 , The rescue station was built in reinforced concrete, according to a simplistic quadrangular plan, in a style common to the 1960s. It houses a “gravity” launching system, the only one still operating in France.
A quadrangular layout, it has an opening on the side overlooking the quay, opening with a metal door that slides and pivots on horizontal axes thanks to two counterweights. The boat is launched laterally by a davit machine, a sort of tackle mounted on slides and held by cables. The shelter is built of reinforced concrete and covered on a terrace with concrete slabs. It is accessed through a door with an exterior step. A side slipway built parallel makes it possible to compensate for a possible malfunction of the launching system. In Etel, the boat was replaced by a new boat which now remains afloat in the port. The original 1962 shelter, launching machine and lifeboat assembly are in perfect working order. Maintained by the town and an association which opens the shelter to visitors, they are part of Etel’s maritime heritage. All pictures from the Etel station.
A bit of history I like on the group tell us that the National Society for Rescue at Sea (SNSM) is a French association, recognized as being of public utility, founded in 1967 by merger of the Société centrale de rescue des shipwreckés (SCSN, founded in 1865, and the Hospitaliers Sauveteurs Bretons (HSB, founded in 1873, The SNSM rescue boats are distributed across 218 stations along the metropolitan and overseas coast and act under the authority and at the request of the regional operational surveillance and rescue centers (CROSS) which in France are the sea rescue coordination centers and which depend on the Maritime Affairs Directorate of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. The financing of the SNSM (acquisition, maintenance of rescue boats and crew training) is largely provided by the generosity of the public (donations, legacies) and private partners (patronage). Around 77% of its annual resources were of private origin and 23% came from public funding (State and local authorities).
The first rescue society was established in 1825 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, under the name “Société Humaine des Naufragés” (SHN). On April 8, 1834, the human society of Dunkirk was created, followed by those of Calais, Rouen and Bayonne. of Dieppe in 1839, and finally Montreuil-sur-mer in 1841. The beginning of centralization did not appear in France until 1865, on February 12, when the Central Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People (SCSN) was founded under the presidency of the Admiral de Genouilly. Shortly after, in 1883, on the initiative of Nadault de Buffon – general advocate at the court of Rennes – the Society of Breton Rescue Hospitallers was created which provided complementary resources to those of the SCSN mainly on the beaches with emphasis on the development of maritime first aid. Since the merger in October 1967, the name has been “National Society for the Safeguarding of Human Life and the Rescue of Shipwrecked Persons at Sea and on the Coast”; deemed too long, the name chosen on January 20, 1968 was “National Sea Rescue Society” (SNSM). The hulls of the SCSN boats were painted dark green (mostly all-weather canoes), those of the HSBs were painted navy blue (mostly speedboats), the association then kept these colors for its canoes and rescue speedboats.The SNSM has three types of activities, offshore rescue, training of seasonal rescue swimmers and prevention of nautical risks.
The town of Etel on location : http://www.mairie-etel.fr/fr/plan-de-ville
The local Bay of Quiberon tourist office on the port and ria of Etel: https://www.baiedequiberon.co.uk/etel-and-its-port
Etel sea tides or Marée to go out safe at Etel : http://maree.info/99
The SNSM station in Etel : https://station-etel.snsm.org/
There you go folks, another dandy road warrior ride into beautiful seacoast territory we love, and so glad Etel is very close to us, we visit often, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the wonderful organisation of the SNSM and Etel station as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 