When Sébastien gets out of school and finds his first job, his financial means are not big. But the desire to have his boat is still a priority. He was looking for a boat that had to have charm, character and presence. He is therefore looking for a sailing boat in the traditional style without falling into wooden boats which require too much maintenance.
In 2015, he found an advertisement for a small polyester sailboat with a auric sail. The photos are encouraging, even though the ad indicates that the sailboat has not been maintained for a few years.
It is a 3.80 m open hull (without the bowsprit) with the original hoari rigging replaced by an auric rigging with a yard. Underneath, the false keel has been lengthened to increase the anti-drift plan. This hull was built in 1974 by the Arcoa shipyards in the Arcachon basin. It belongs to a family who has lent it to themselves from child to child. It is moreover one of the sons who modified the rigging. But today she is no longer in use.
From the outset, Sébastien liked this small boat and wanted a simple unit without a motor, both for the pleasure of sailing, to avoid noise and pollution, but also to limit costs. A simple scull is enough to move it.
So he buys it on the Golfe du Morbihan: 1500 euros with his trailer. And tows it to his new base: Saint-Brieuc. After 3 test sailings, from which Sébastien comes out pleasantly surprised by the boat's behaviour, he undertakes the renovation of the hull. It is above all an aesthetic refit, rather than an in-depth overhaul.
The advantage of the small boat is that it can be easily turned over, which makes sanding work easier. With the help of a garage uncle who gives him access to a paint booth, Sébastien paints the whole hull (inside and outside) with a spray gun. Then the dead works will be covered with a black glossy film (covering). Indeed, in his idea, Sébastien's boats look more like Pen Duick than a white whale ..
The interior will remain white with a navy blue accent. On the bottom, to avoid slipping, Sébastien adds non-slip in the gelcoat. As for the woodwork, the boat has very little except for the mast. Sébastien protects them with saturator. For performance, he's going to have fun cutting a jib out of an old genoa. He's drawing it bigger than it was originally to pull the boat a little in light airs.
He will also do a lot of work on the trailer, which he has to completely overhaul: changing bearings, tires and even redesigning the tiller, which had been tinkered with wood! This will be an opportunity for Sébastien to learn how to handle the welding station.
Sébastien is going to enjoy Insolentiae (insolent in Latin) for 3 years: a small boat on the verge of insolence which allows itself a lot of things. With it he sails between Bréhat and Saint Quay. Often alone, it enjoys being able to sneak through the rocks, helped by the shallow draught. This hull is very manoeuvrable and sails at a surprisingly constant speed.
As a culmination, Sébastien fulfils his dream of participating in the Gulf Week which brings together many traditional sailing boats in the Gulf of Morbihan. With this participation, which he sees as the culmination of a first part of the project, Sébastien can now think bigger.
He now dreams of sailing north to Norway. He is therefore putting his Arcoa hull (which will be sold in Cancale) up for sale to buy a Scotch, a Harlé design built by the Aubain shipyard. But that's a new story..
