The Shipwreck of Portbail

The shipwreck of Portbail, Normandy (France).

Stranded boats, Portbail (Normandy).

The shipwreck of Portbail, Normandy (France).

The shipwreck of Portbail, Normandy (France).

Shipwereck near Portbail, Normandy (France).

Shipwreck of Portbail

About one year ago (May 2013), my sister, parents and I were on a short hike along the coastline of Normandy. As we approached Portbail, we encountered this rather dramatic looking shipwreck.

The remains of the ship are those of L’Angélus, which is said to have been constructed in 1953. A bit of a let-down I must say personally, since there don’t seem to be any pirate or kraken-related stories to be found. I think it was probably just abandoned sometime during the 90s and has been rotting away in the Portbail harbour ever since. It kind of reminds me of a skeleton.

Though the shipwreck may have been a nice touch, I have to admit that Portbail itself unfortunately does not manage to rank on my top 20 list of most remarkable French towns where I took a toilet stop. Anyway, the shipwreck has become quite the mascot of town, as it is frequently photographed by easily entertained tourists (who, me?).

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4 thoughts on “The Shipwreck of Portbail

  1. I do believe that you captured the spirit of “shipwreck” in this rotting skeleton of a hull, Roselinde. It amazes me that a community would permit something like this to remain on the beach. Most towns here would have cleaned it up and hauled it away.

    1. Thank you for your comment! Hahah, I think I’ve read somewhere that some villagers really do want the ship removed, saying it looks bad, although others have founded some kind club to preserve what’s left of the ship 😉

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