Seasonal jobs: canoe rental on the Dronne, “it’s physical”

In Dordogne, for the second year, Damien Marleau and his employees from the Brantôme canoë company have been busy renting out their boats all summer.

It's 9:00 a.m. Amélie and Audrey are quietly setting up a few chairs on the terrace of the premises, under a clear sky. Damien Mareau, their boss, arrives a few minutes later, wearing a cap emblazoned with "Brantôme canoë." Today, there are no reservations for the 9:15 a.m. departure; the first one will be an hour later. With his 109 canoes and 29 kayaks, the thirty-year-old is preparing to organize the eight outings for the day, which ends at 6:00 p.m. for him and his employees.

Open since April 25, the company has entered the busiest part of the season, from "July 15 to August 24," estimates Damien Mareau.

This is his second season as manager in this place. He bought it from Richard Azéma , the former owner, who was tired after thirty years in the business. "It's a physical job," explains Damien. "Last year, while unloading a trailer, I broke a rib. So the goal this year is to make sure no one gets hurt."

I do seasons because it breaks the routine.”

At 9:50 a.m., the first tourists arrive. The place quickly comes alive. Audrey and Mylène, Richard's ex-wife, welcome the visitors. Mathéo and Louis, two younger seasonal workers, distribute life jackets to the twenty or so people gathered on the terrace, where a strong smell of sunscreen hangs in the air. Twenty-five minutes later, Amélie gives the last vacationers the instructions. Then the group boards the white bus driven by the owner, while the young woman climbs with her dog Brigand into the pale green van, which coughs a little as it starts, a trailer loaded with canoes in the back.

Driving the vehicle is one of the aspects Amélie enjoys, traveling the winding road towards Verneuil. "I never get bored, and I like the physical aspect. I often do seasons because it breaks the routine. And then, I practiced canoeing a lot before, that's also why I chose this job," says the young woman who, in September, will start her new school year as a supervisor.

But the physical aspect of the sector has sometimes posed problems for her. "When you're a woman, it's a little more complicated," she says. "People can be a little macho. I would call to come work for them, but they would tell me the job was tough."

Amélie arrives at the site overlooking the Dronne and begins unloading the canoes, each weighing between 50 and 60 kilos, on her own. Damien joins her, and about fifteen minutes later, 13 boats are floating down the river toward Brantôme. "Have a good trip," they say to each vacationer.

Back at the office, another group is already waiting for them. Amélie is sweating a little, and Damien has taken off his sweatshirt. There are seven departures left, every forty-five minutes.

(1) Four different routes are available, by canoe and kayak (also by stand-up paddle for the circuit around the town). For more information, visit the Brantôme canoë website. Reservations at 05 53 05 77 24.