Arrived in Bangladesh on his barge as he recounts in his book presented here Yves Marre discovered a maritime culture that had been undermined by regular cyclones and concerns about deforestation. In the Bay of Bengal, good quality wood for making hulls is becoming scarce, therefore expensive, and therefore inaccessible to one of the poorest populations in the world.
By creating the TaraTari shipyard, Yves Marre introduced polyester construction, then very rare in this country. This method of construction in a mould has the advantage of making boats that are solid, reliable and, above all, allows safe sailing. On the other hand, the nautical cultural heritage disappeared with it.
Seeking to preserve the great disparity of boats sailing locally, Yves Marre commissioned a group of carpenters to build a moon boat (Shandler Nouka).
This type of boat with incredible curves sails on the border of Bangladesh and Burma, starting from a huge beach south of Cox's Bazaar. Its shape and arched profile can be explained by the necessity for fishermen to cross the sandy barrier located a few hundred meters from the shore. It is thanks to the curvature of their keel line that these boats manage to cross the natural obstacle by swinging their bows. As soon as they are launched or return from the sea, fishermen regularly silt up. By tilting the boat backwards and forwards as the waves pass, the boat is gradually freed with the help of the engine.
This engine is a Chinese single-cylinder 22 hp petrol engine that starts with a crank handle. It is the same engine found on all local boats. It is in fact the basis of a pump motor used to dry out fields, which has been reconverted for use on boats.
So 5 carpenters from Cox's Bazaar came to build a copy of the Moon Boat on the TaraTari shipyard under the eyes of the volunteers of the association who followed and annotated each day of the construction which lasted 3 weeks. Taking notes, photos, videos to create a complete unique document. Unique, because in this country, the transmission of know-how is only oral, disappearing rapidly in recent years. The boat is built in a local wood, the Gorjun, hand carved with very specific tools as you can discover in the video.
Characteristics of the Bateau Lune :
Length: 8.50 m
Width: 2.50 m
Height: 4.00 m
Weight: 2.7 tons
