About this site

Piers and Lin du Pré bought their new Fleming 55 / 129, Play d'eau, in 2003.

She was berthed in Beaucette Marina, Guernsey in the Channel Islands at N49° 30’.197 W002° 30’.350 until she was sold in October 2021.

This site charts the thrilling adventures they had in her.

You can contact us here.

Where’s Play d’eau?

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Beaucette’s Restaurant

A popular dish
Lobster, straight from the sea that morning
click to enlarge

2021 –

Beaucette Restaurant reopened under new management in 2021, as Saltwater

2012 – 2021

During these years, the restaurant was known as The Restaurant at Beaucette Marina, and opened for business in June 2012, under the management of Chef Patron James and his wife, Valerie.

The restaurant became one of Guernsey’s best, benefitting from stunning views across Beaucette Marina and beyond to Herm, Jethou, Sark, Alderney and France, and, if you peek to the right a bit you can see ‘the other island’, Jersey.

The restaurant had undergone full refurbishment with a large outside decking area for Al Fresco drinks and dining. With Valerie’s eye for detail, the restaurant’s nautical theme was kept and enhanced with splashes of red, ‘my favourite colour,’ added Valerie.

Whilst Valerie looked after the front of house, Chef James commanded the kitchens.

Chef James

‘A splash of red – my favourite colour,’ says Valerie
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‘Good cooking is all about flavour, presentation and consistency. Often you’ll find chefs have books detailing their dishes, but my book is in my head,’ said James.

‘We’d cook everything from scratch, including all the sauces, stocks, biscuits and tuiles, cakes and desserts. All would be made in my kitchen so we know they’re fresh, vibrant and most important of all, they’d taste right. Fish came straight from the sea around us, and our meat and vegetables were all sourced locally.’

Chef James’s background is all food-focussed. Having left school James went straight to work experience in a hotel kitchen.

‘I loved it. From there I worked in a number of restaurants and under some great chefs, including Steve Halstead. For eleven years before opening The Restaurant at Beaucette Marina, I was chef at the busy Oatlands Courtyard Brasserie.’

In the kitchen, James had a Head Chef, three trainee chefs and a washer-upper. All were encouraged to be creative and bring fresh ideas, ‘which we’d all test and taste before allowing the changes or adding new dishes to the menu,’ added James, ‘and we’d do whatever we could to help – plus it’s fun creating something new!’

The menus

Valerie and Chef James created Table d’hôte and À la Carte menus for lunch, and a separate À la Carte menu for dinner.

‘If a party wanted something special created, they’d only need to ask,’ added James. ‘It’s fun creating something different!’

Piers and Lin
from the Taste Buds of
Play d’eau
Fleming 55

You can get in touch with us any time by using our Contact Form

Chef James and wife Valerie
The Restaurant at Beaucette Marina
click to enlarge