Marie-Louise, cutter from Carantec

The choppy waters and rocky environs of the Carantec river on which the Marie-Louise (1939) was used meant that this cutter needed to be robust. With a large sail surface: one large sail overhanging the stern, a staysail and a large jib on a long jibboom, Marie-Louise is a fast,

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Viviane, pleasure yacht

This pleasure yacht made from riveted sheet metal, built in Nantes at the Dubigeon shipyard in 1860, belongs to the first generation of sailing dinghies designed for racing. Entered in regattas by industrialists from Nantes, it was an external symbol of their social success and the technological prowess of the

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Roi Gradlon, historical buoy tender

This former buoy tender for the Morbihan Lighthouses and Beacons Service, the Roi Gradlon, joined the museum’s moored collection in April 2015. Built in 1948 in Le Havre, this emblematic ship was assigned to Lorient from 1952 and was responsible for maintaining lighthouses and beacons in the waters of Morbihan,

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Anna-Rosa, Norwegian coaster

Anna-Rosa was built in 1893 in the Norwegian fjord of Hardanger. In the early 20th century, like almost 2000 other Norwegian galleasses, this robust, sail-powered coaster was used for roe* and dried cod trade all over Europe. Roe trade, which was particularly active in Douarnenez, led to close connections with

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Dieu Protège, sand barge

Dieu Protège is an Iroise Sea sand barge. From 1951, the year of its launch, and for 35 years, Dieu Protège extracted sand from the Iroise Sea, then delivered it to Brest. This sand was required for the many reconstruction sites in the city, which suffered substantial destruction during the

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Saint Denys, steam tugboat

The Saint-Denys, built in Scotland in 1929, belonged to the Falmouth Towage Company. This company’s ships, easily recognisable due to their green hulls and black and white chimneys, drew attention with their robust, short, wide silhouettes. The Saint-Denys is the only visitable steam tug in France, and notably boasts a

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Tatara, pirogue from Orchid Island

Built in around 1970, on Orchid Island off the coast of Taiwan, this fishing boat for flying fish, known as a Tatara, has colourful, sculpted decoration, featuring chevrons, scrolls and suns in white, red and black. The geometric designs at the ends are the boat’s eyes. The silhouettes with scrolls

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Douarnenez, sardine port

Douarnenez has a long history as an active fishing port. It was Brittany’s largest sardine fishing port in the early 20th century, with almost 800 boats: a quarter of the fleet of the whole Breton coast. With 4,560 registered seamen out of a total population of around 15,000 in 1910,

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Catraia, Portuguese coaster

This boat from the Tagus (Portugal), built in around 1940, has a large hold for transporting cargo. In accordance with custom, it is abundantly decorated, particularly on the rear bulkhead. The angel on the stern replaces an older figure of a toreador.

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Pieter, tjotter converted for leisure

This Dutch river sailboat, known as a tjotter (1965) and used for food provision in villages in the Dutch polders has a shallow draught (0.45 m) and a flat bottom. Two wooden centre-boards, placed laterally on the outside of the hull, stop the boat from drifting in the crosswind. In its

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