An emblematic “Terre-Nova” of Normandy which used to go fishing on the banks of Newfoundland at the beginning of the 20th century. This tallship has been completely restored under the supervision and plans of our naval architecture office. It has been a real honour to rework the volumes of such a beautiful and ancient design.
MARITE was built in 1923 in Fécamp. Her programme at the time was to travel the large banks of Newfoundland to bring back to Europe the tons of cod which were found in these areas. The navigations were then very demanding, for the boat as well as for the crew.
Until the Second World War, MARITE carried out numerous fishing campaigns lasting several months. She was then mobilised and gradually abandoned despite a year working with the famous TV show “Thalassa”.
At the end of the 2000s, MARITE was the last French “Terre Neuvas” and it was the “Conseil Général de la Manche” that took the initiative to restore her.
The latter then mandated our yacht design office to convert her into a historic sailing boat that would accompany nautical events and allow the general public to enjoy unusual and nostalgic sails, mainly off the Normandy coast.
The task was complex because it was a question of restoring a unit seriously damaged by the years, and of proposing a “safe” use for the general public, far from the sometimes inhuman conditions of the navigations of the time… and this, while respecting the image and the size of the silhouette of the ship.
Today, MARITE sails, delights its visitors and accompanies nautical events such as the Brest events (grouping of old sailing ships in 2013), the French delegation to the London Olympics in 2012 and more recently, the start of the Vendée Globe2016 in Les Sables d’Olonnes.
