After Tangier the Hermione arrived in Sète, its first stopover in the French Mediterranean, this Tuesday, March 27, 2018. An arrival that is part of the heart of the Maritime Festivals of the city of Occitania (Stopover in Sète from 27 to 2 April 2018). Thus, the frigate made a majestic entry into the city, accompanied by a flotilla of historic sailing ships, giving rise to a beautiful nautical parade. There was Le Mutin, a wooden training ship of the French Navy, the Russian 4-masted Kruzenshtern, the second largest sail training ship in the world, the 3-masted Shtandart, a replica of the frigate of Tsar Peter the Great, Le Don du vent, a sailing ship from Marseille classified as a ship of heritage interest ... but also dozens of fishing boats and pleasure boats from the Sète waterfront. More than a hundred boats, including the most beautiful riggings in France and the world, await the public from the Savonnerie quay to the Saint Louis pier, from its canals to the auction.
Even if the Hermione arrived in the commercial port of Sète a few days early, the party was there. The public was numerous on the quays of the singular island. All the crew, on the deck or in the mast, the sailors as well as the officers, had put on their period costumes. The frigate also let its 28 cannons sound while the young volunteers sang at the top of their voices, all together flown over by Mirages 2000 from the La Fayette fighter squadron based in Istres.
"For me, Sète is the end of the voyage with the Hermione. It has been an incredible and intense experience. I embarked in La Rochelle, so I knew the Atlantic in rough conditions and the Mediterranean so different and unpredictable. I learned so many things technically, but also, and especially, humanly. The sharing between the people and the different cultures on board was incredible for me. With the French (because I come from Canada), I was able to talk about Acadia, my region. My companions were very curious about what I was able to deliver to them and it warmed my heart to explain to everyone where I come from and how our history is connected. It was very rewarding to talk about our roots, the French language and the evolution of the French language. Now, I will take advantage of the Escale à Sète festival, we will open the boat to visitors and once again share with them. I also intend to visit the other boats of the festival, I already had the chance to visit the Mutin and it was great. The city looks beautiful too. For me this is my first trip to Europe and there is so much to discover." explains Dany Martin, a young Canadian manager.
The Hermione docked at the Quai d'Alger where the mayor of Sète, François Commeinhes, and Geneviève Darrieussecq, Secretary of State to the Minister of the Armed Forces, officially opened the fifth edition of Escale à Sète under the enchanted gaze of Annick Artaud, president of Escale à Sète, and Wolfgang Idiri, the director: " The Hermione is a wonderful ambassador for Escale à Sète, she is known throughout the world, far beyond the enthusiasts and seafarersâeuros¦ The project of the Hermione La Fayette Association has galvanized us for 20 years and proved to us that having dreams full of hope and believing in them was not a utopia. Hosting the frigate for our 5th e This edition is something indescribable. This morning on the parade we were immersed in a gathering of all the people of the sea: traditional boats, work boats of today, fishermen, pilots, tugs, salvorsâeuros¦ The Hermione is our guest of honor so there are several villages on land dedicated to the period of the War of Independence, La Fayette, with reenactments, trades of the time, musicâeuros¦"
