 Coquard recalled his years in the merchant navy fondly, writing many years later after becoming a missionary in Africa, “To see so many beautiful sailing ships in port and to chat with the crewmen makes going to sea irresistible for a twelve-year old boy from Mesquer.”

At the age of 24, while in Montevideo with the merchant navy, Coquard encountered the Sacred Heart Missionaries of Betharram, a group of Christian missionaries that ran a prestigious school.Given his interest in a priestly calling as well as the idea of becoming a missionary, Coquard commenced schooling in Montevideo for the next four years.However, in 1886, Coquard learned that he was rejected as a candidate for priesthood with the Sacred Heart Missionaries.