Early one winter morning three years ago and despite the storm warning given by Jaques le Perry from the lighthouse, Pascal Coubert untied his small fishing boat that was moored right in front of his house in the harbour. The waves in the North Sea were so high that Pascal was unable to get his nets out. On the way back to the harbour the boat overturned and poor Pascal was found some three hours later on the beach more dead than alive and very under cooled with the oar still clasped in his hands. After that Pascal no longer dared to go out to sea. He sat unhappily at home feeling very much alone. Mayor Victor Dumont took pity on the lonely man and appointed him as harbour master of Chareauville sur Mer because of his great experience with the sea.

Lucien Chantiers from the boat repair shop helped convert his house into a harbour office and Gérard Potoise, the "Peintre Artistique", painted a beautiful mural depicting an impressive three-master in full sail giving the harbour office a stately exterior. Pascal Coubert’s task is to keep account of the ships wanting to enter and leave the harbour and to make sure that this takes place in an orderly fashion with no accidents. Indeed the entrance to the harbour is quite narrow and the ships are becoming increasingly large. Pascal works together closely with Jaques le Perray who has a panoramic view of the sea from his lighthouse and warns the harbour master with signals when a ship is in sight. The harbour office is also the place where the ships’ captains pay their harbour fee. This money is not only used to pay Pascal but also goes into a special fund to finance the maintenance of the harbour walls. All in all Pascal no longer feels alone. He has become a respected citizen of Chareauville sur Mer.