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An arrival with a bang
The Hermione arrived in Boston, the capital of Massachusetts, on July 11 for a stopover that makes sense. The city is the starting point of the American Revolution and had welcomed the frigate in the 18th century. The ship had arrived there on April 28, 1780, carrying La Fayette from the Charente estuary, after a 38-day transatlantic voyage. Yann Cariou and his crew are now following in the footsteps of the Marquis 235 years later.
After Newport, the Hermione's crew returned to a great city. Boston is the largest city in Massachusetts and the state of New England. It is one of the oldest cities in the country, founded in 1630. The Liberty Frigate left Boston on the evening of July 12 to sail to Castine, Maine.
To celebrate the ship's arrival, a grand nautical parade took place on July 11, followed by a welcoming ceremony. The frigate then went to moor at Rowe's Wharf, in the financial and harbor district of Boston.
The Hermione's boatswains, stars of the baseball game
During the Boston stopover, four of the Hermione's sailors had the honor of kicking off a baseball game. They were accompanied by Didier Cannioux, president of the Cannoniers de Rochefort baseball club.
The latter threw the ball for the opening of the game that took place at Fenway Park. It opposed the two great rivals of Major League Baseball: the Red Sox and the Yankees. And for this game, the first shot was made with a baseball dedicated by the whole team from Rochefort, the "La Fayette's Ball".
It is a great honor that was done to these four Frenchmen since usually, the kick-off of the match is reserved for personalities like the president, Barack Obama. The famous ball was brought by the four gabiers, one of them in period costume, to the French shooter. It was installed on a cushion. After the shot, the Red Sox catcher brought it back to the mayor of Boston as a symbol of Franco-American friendship.
Boston, the heart of the American Revolution
It was in 1773, in Boston, that the American Revolution began. The British kingdom, plagued by cash flow problems, had decided to tax the colonies. It was the "TeaAct" tax that triggered a wind of revolt. As six British ships reached the East Coast, three of them in Boston, 60 Bostonians, disguised as Mohawks, targeted the ships. After climbing aboard, they threw 342 crates of tea into the water. This event became the symbol of the uprising against the British Empire.
Seven years later, it was aboard the Hermione that La Fayette landed in Boston to announce French support.
