''La Recouvrance'' is a replica

gaff rig Gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the ''gaff''. Because of the size and shap ...

ged schooner, named in honour of Recouvrance, one of the districts of

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

History

The idea for ''La Recouvrance'' was originally conceived in 1990. She was modeled on the plans for ''Iris'', which was designed by the French

naval engineer A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...

Hubert in 1817. Originally, there had been five vessels built from ''Iris'' design, and these ships were employed in the early nineteenth century as

courier A courier is a person or organisation that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...

vessels for the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

. Eventually, their role was expanded to include surveillance and protection of

merchant shipping Maritime transport (or ocean transport) and hydraulic effluvial transport, or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people ( passengers) or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by sea has been widely used thro ...

off the

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n and

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coasts. The proposal for a replica vessel was taken up by several public and private interests in

, which formed ''Goelette la Recouvrance'' organisation to oversee the project. Construction on the ship began in 1991, and employed both volunteer and paid labour. The partially completed ''La Recouvrance'' was launched at the Brest '92 maritime festival, and her rig was completed a year later. In 1996, management of the vessel was transferred to SOPAB Brest.

Career

''La Recouvrance'' sails regularly from Brest, offering day sails for up to 25 passengers and overnight sails for up to 12. She occasionally attends maritime festivals, and has visited many European nations.

Gallery

Image:Recouvrance proue face.jpg, The

figurehead In politics, a figurehead is a person who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet ''de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that they ...

of ''La Recouvrance'' Image:Figure de proue de la Recouvrance.JPG, Figurehead and

bowsprit The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay A bobstay is a part of the rigging of a sailing boat or ship. Its purpose is to counteract the upward tensio ...

Image:Recouvrance stern.jpg, The vessel's decorated stern Image:La Recouvrance devant L'île Tristan.jpg, ''La Recouvrance'' under partial sail

References

''Recouvrance'' official site (in French)SOPAB official siteChantier du Guip, the shipyard where ''La Recouvrance'' was built
{{DEFAULTSORT:La Recouvrance Schooners Individual sailing vessels Ships of France Brest, France 1993 ships Replica ships Ships built in France

History

Career

Gallery

See also

References