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| The restaurant
was named after Nell Matusier (1892
- 1911), who also gave her name to
a spit of land... A lighthouse protects
sailors from the dangers of Cap Nell
and also from its legend. The men
from this region who succumbed to
her charms have left us unsettling
letters that we invite you to read….
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| First letter | Emile Guillot, deputy keeper
To the Engineer responsible for lighthouses in Charente Inférieure (today Charente Maritime).
Report of the meteorological conditions and situation of lighthouse 422 on 10 October 1931 at 06:00.
- Calm sea, moderate swell
- Clear sky
- Light south-south-westerly wind
Special remarks: Distress signal hoisted at 07:10
It is because of some unusual circumstances that I will be on duty alone on lighthouse 422 until the next relief due on 25 October. At 02:45 last night, the Head-keeper knocked at my door and requested me to meet him by the lantern. I imagined that there was an alert so I dressed rapidly. I found him on the outer gangway. M Moreau pointed into the darkness at about half a cable from the lighthouse, towards the north.
I then noticed a surprising phenomenon. At precisely the point he indicated, I could see white fluorescent shapes moving just under the surface of the water. At first, I thought it was plankton or a school of dolphins but to my knowledge, no species of plankton is as compact as what I could see. As for the dolphins, I had never in my entire career seen such luminous mammals but most of all, I had never known them capable of reproducing such lovely melodious sounds. The absence of backwash allowed me to hear a kind of song quite distinctly. M Moreau seemed very upset by the presence of this phenomenon. I stayed with him more than 35 minutes without exchanging the slightest word; it was fatigue that forced me to go back to my bed.
Two hours later, when I went to take over the watch, Head-keeper Moreau was no longer present at his post and all my searches for him proved fruitless. The lifeboat was still in the statutory position and all I could assume was that Head-keeper Moreau had abandoned his post and returned to the mainland by an unknown means. I found a sealed envelope addressed to you, written in his own hand on the watch-table.
Emile Guillot, deputy keeper.
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Restaurant -
Bistrot - Grill
LE CAP NELL
1, quai Bellot - 17 000 Rochefort
France
Tél : +33 (0)5 46 87 31 77 |
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