The Mascaret

The mascaret is a tidal surge phenomenon that occurs on the Dordogne River at certain times in the area of Libourne. It was supposed to happen between 6:45 and 7:45 pm on our 4th night of cruising. Our ship had to be freed from the dock and had to sail in the middle of the river because sometimes the surge is 3-4 feet high and it comes in successive waves. A docked ship can be thrown against the dock, damaging both the ship and the dock. Sometimes it's big enough for people to surf on! The surge flows in the opposite direction of the river current, so you actually see the water in the river change direction.

We all went up to the sun deck and enjoyed some beverages waiting for the mascaret to come.  Finally the captain blew the horn once to let us know it was starting toward us. We waited and watched and then finally we could see the surface of the water starting to turn up into waves.

As we watched, a zodiac boat shot out across the river and dropped a surfer in the water.  The waves grew increasingly bigger and more frequent.  The surfer managed to have a pretty good ride while the guys in the zodiac got bounced around pretty well. The waves of the mascaret broke against the shores and the prow of the boat.  It was fun to watch and something none of us had ever seen before.

It happened again the next morning early, about 6:30 so we stood outside our room and watched it in the fog and semi-darkness. It was a little different this time because we couldn't see it coming due to the fog but we could hear it coming. That was a little eerie actually.