Although the Marseillais claim it was created in 1880 by a carpenter from Italy, it has been found since ancient times all around the Mediterranean, from the Genoese and Catalan coasts to the Neapolitan. It goes by different names in different regions: bette in Martigues, barquette in Marseille, nacelle in Languedoc, and tarquier in Saint-Raphaël. In Nice, fishermen call it the pointu, a name given in the early 19th century by Breton sailors who were amused to see boats 6 to 8 meters long with a stern as pointed as the bow.
Today, on the port of Nice only 3 are still in operation. The other 80 are lovingly maintained by enthusiasts who devote almost all their spare time to their work.
"I was born with it. My grandfather was a pointu fisherman. So in the 90s, when I was able to own my first pointu, I didn't hesitate," says Ptit-Pierre, the proud owner of a second pointu of the same name.
Unfortunately, there are no longer any yards producing them: too expensive, too much maintenance, too complicated. "The youngest are already 40 years old, and the oldest date back to the beginning of the last century," he laments. Made exclusively from hardwoods such as ash, oak or acacia for the frames, and less expensive softwoods such as Aleppo pine and umbrella pine for the planking. "Mine still has a pine deck. It's the only one in Nice He says mockingly. "The others have replaced it with marine plywood or teak.
I've been at it since last year, but I've finally found the right recipe for my seals. Below deck, an engine hold and a fish tank, now used for storage. "All the pointus boats are motorized, even the oldest, at the beginning of the 20th century, were equipped with a Baudouin engine They soon gave up sailing for the comfort of sailors.
It's above all a Mediterranean boat, with a pointed stern and bow to face the big blue with its often strong, short, cross swell. For 80-year-old Féfé, just back from a fishing trip aboard Horizon, a pointu built in 1979, but as good as new, "at least with the pointu you always get through, even if the weather's bad And the fish? "There's nothing left. Before, I used to come home with 2 or 3 bass. I even brought in a 3 kg pageot one day," he says with a big smile, before adding that he had been in the newspaper.
Nice's pointus boats, with their evocative names and pretty colors, are part of our maritime and postcard heritage. Maintained by enthusiasts who give a very special atmosphere to the harbor, today filled with the unmistakable white hulls...
