While we were enjoying a European vacation with my parents and cousins I suggested to Jan that we take the TGV from Paris to La Rochelle to see the new Amel 54 that was just starting production. After several discusions about why we should waste vacation time to look at a boat she agreed and we decided to ditch the parents and cousins for 28 hours to tour the factory.
When we arrived in La Rochelle we found a delightful port that seemed like it was out of the movies. When we got up the next morning we looked out on the bay at low tide and wondered how anything could get into the harbor. Didn't have much time to wonder about it because Luc Brumauld, our designated Amel host, arrived promptly at 0900 to introduce us to the Amel 54.
The factory visit was very informative and we learned more than we ever expected to know about the shipyard, their commitment to quality, safety features, craftsmenship and the systematic way the vessels have evolved during the forty years the company has been in business.
