It was from Port-Guillaume, in Cabourg, that with a crew of four lads, we set off to the discovery of my ancestor Jean Bart, a famous privateer who sailed the English Channel and the North Sea nearly 350 years ago .
It was therefore with pleasure that with our skipper Patrick Tabarly, Gwenaël Bonnet, a brave sailor who will never retire, and Alexis Fournier, a young 31 year old sailor, we set sail for Dunkirk from the port of Cabourg.
After 42 hours of day-night sailing on the Pink Floyd, our 32-foot sailboat, we arrived at dawn on September 11th at the Club des Dauphins where, to mark our entry into Dunkirk, we hoisted the grand-pavois that Patrick Tabarly had embarked on the boat.
A stopover at the top of the world
The town hall team welcomed us in the Franco-British summit lounge on Saturday 12 September in the early afternoon. During this official reception, we were of course able to taste "les doigts de Jean Bart", a delicious local pastry, but above all, we were awarded the medal of "Chevalier Jean Bart", an honorary award from the town, by Patrick Tabarly and myself. Under the guidance of our Dunkirk guide, Jean-Pierre Castier, we sailed through the streets of the city and the many basins where the famous Duchess Anne, a beautiful three-masted ship of 1902 which was used as a training ship by the Germans before being recovered by the French after the Second World War, anchored. "A hell of a monster! "Patrick Tabarly would say to you. A little further on are the skippers of the Solitaire du Figaro who, like us, stopped off in Dunkirk before setting sail for Saint-Nazaire.
A city that lives Jean Bart
The whole town is in turmoil over its maritime history. There is the "Jean Bart" square where an imposing statue of the corsair, sword in the light, is enthroned, raised towards England. On the Quai de la Citadelle, there is the Port History Museum, with its impressive collection of models, paintings, cannons, objects and historical documents that attest to the profoundly maritime character of Dunkirk. The city was the first of the corsair cities, fortified by Marshal Vauban, before becoming, in the 18th century, a commercial city where the warriors of the seas became fishermen. Generations of brave men who, for decades, threw down their lines to Iceland.
Yes, at Dunkirk, we go through the history of the Navy and its faithful servants. More than that, we are steeped in it.
An 82-gun building under construction
So much so that the story never ends. On the morning of Sunday, September 13, we went to discover a titanic construction site in Gravelines, where, since 2002, Christian Cardin and his association Tourville have been striving to reconstruct a building with 82 cannons inspired by the Grand Siècle. The "Jean Bart", a veritable maritime cathedral under construction, will be completed within eight to ten years. A unique ship that defies all the laws of reason. This is a magnificent cultural and historical project, in the finest tradition of maverick and adventurous spirits, which can be supported and visited to continue to make children from 7 to 77 years old dream.
Tribute to missing sailors
Also, on Sunday morning, we were able to pay homage to the missing sailors, to Eric Tabarly, Patrick's brother, and of course to Jean Bart in the Notre-Dame des Dunes chapel. The Bazennes, sailors' wives dressed in traditional costume, accompanied us for this homage where we were surrounded by ex-voto, that is to say small steles of thanks placed in homage to Notre-Dame des Dunes. We must imagine all these wives and children imploring heaven so that their husbands, their fathers, return safe and sound from their military campaigns in the North Sea and Iceland where fishing conditions were extreme. For the lives of the sailors and the people of Dunkirk were harsh and perilous.
From one chapel to another, we went to lay a wreath of flowers on the tomb of Jean Bart, located in the middle of the choir of Saint-Eloi church. The priest whispered to us: "At Dunkirk one kneels more willingly before the tomb of John Bart than before the Blessed Sacrament..."
Jean Bart is considered by the people of Dunkirk as a demigod. He is celebrated during the traditional carnival, a Dantesque festival that commemorates the corsair spirit and the joy of finding everyone dressed up as they were at the time of the race.
It was therefore in a warm atmosphere, under a clement sun, that we experienced this first stopover in Dunkirk.
Crossing the Channel in the footsteps of the privateer
The rest of our expedition will take us to the side of England. We leave this Monday, September 14th for Hastings and will sail on the English waves for a week to Plymouth, - via the Isle of Wight -, where Jean Bart was sequestered in 1689. It is then that we will relive, with Patrick Tabarly, Gwenaël Bonnet and Alexis Fournier, the spectacular escape of the great privateer, where, for two days, he rowed across the English Channel to Saint-Malo. We'll dock in the port of Malouin for our second stopover. The members of the prestigious Association of the Descendants of Privateer Captains will welcome us on the pontoon for a drink to the health of privateers and all valiant hearts. But before the festivities, let's head for England!
Maxime Dalle
