Very comfortable house, 175m2, 2 levels, garden, near the Port

La Maison des Bolinders
A former support building for a deep-sea net fisherman
Sleeps 6; two additional non-private guest beds.

The Origins

This house is made up of former “magasins,” as they say on the Île d’Yeu—that is, a technical support facility on land for a deep-sea fishing vessel, the F/S “Rochebonne,” named after a famous underwater plateau off the island’s coast.

The first floor served as a technical room and warehouse for the boat’s engines and technical equipment, while the first floor was used for drying and repairing nets. It was built fifty years ago, around 1970, at a time when traditional tuna and sardine fishing was beginning to decline, and when trawlers and tuna vessels had to switch to other species.

L’Impasse des Bolinders, where the house is located in a residential neighborhood, takes its name from a Swedish manufacturer of marine engines, Bolinder, which equipped nearly the entire island’s fleet during its rebuilding after World War II, around 1950. The boat on display on the docks at Port Joinville, in front of the pharmacy and the old station of the Société de Sauvetage, is a “Bolinder.”

The Bolinders’ House

The house is located near (400 m) the ferry terminal, where shuttles from the mainland arrive, and the center of Port Joinville, where the island’s main activities and businesses are concentrated.

It was completely redesigned as a residence in 2020, inspired by the Bauhaus style and built to the highest standards of thermal and sound insulation, by a couple: Tonia, an interior designer with an impressive portfolio, and Claude, who has always been close to the sea—whether as an offshore boater, a certified professional, or the head of a rescue station.

It’s perfect for 6 people; the two additional sleeping spots on a sofa bed are suitable for teenagers but aren’t private.

On the terrace, facing the garden, a kitchenette area (sink, stovetop) completes the layout. The main kitchen and the outdoor griddle are upstairs. An elevator connects the two levels.