Michael Frances Carley

I know Mike (Michael Francis Carley) through Delphine.  I’d told her about tinyboatsession and she said she knew another musician that might be interested and brought him to our jam on the sail cargo ship, the brigantine, TRES HOMBRES.

Mike is a singer songwriter originally from Scotland but has lived long enough in other places that his accent has softened.  He told me from time to time he’s been speaking French so long the English word eludes him, though I never noticed in any of our conversations. He’s been playing around France for the last 30 years and now lives in Douarnenez on a sailboat with a Chinese Junk rig that he’s sailed down the coast in.

Mike plays his guitar hard enough to snap stings regularly.  We shared several beers and I watched him hand roll cigarettes as he told me about playing music.  The joys and just how damn tough it can be to make a living with this skill.

He came down a few times.  He and Delphine gave an another impromptu concert to the crew and the other time he brought down some fishing equipment and taught us how to catch calamari.  We were unsuccessful.  But the fisherman on the quay sold the cook a dozen or so for ten euro.

If your out and about in Brittany keep an eye out for Mike.  He might be playing in one of the local bars.