The Lys Noir, a century-old Auric yawl, continues to sail French waters as an emblematic witness to nautical history. Since 2009, this old rig, which has been awarded the "Bateau d'Intérêt Patrimonial" label and is moored in France at the port of Arradon (56), has been delighting yachting enthusiasts and the curious with its sea trips in the Gulf of Morbihan.
Meet Yoann Pageaud, the captain, who takes us on a tour of this sailing heritage.
What is the history of Le Lys Noir, formerly known as Océanic?
Briefly, the story begins in 1913. It was a Swiss German who ordered the boat from a renowned shipyard of the time, based on the shores of the Arcachon basin. The Swiss had ordered the boat, a classic yacht, for racing, regatta and pleasure cruising. But unfortunately, the First World War broke out, and as this man was more German than Swiss in my opinion, his boat was seized as war damage by the French state. I guess you could say he got his money's worth!
The boat remained under construction until 1924. It was then that the Baronnets, a bourgeois family from Bordeaux, became the first owners. The shipyard in question was the Barrière yard, also based on the shores of the Arcachon basin. It closed in the 60s and no longer exists. It was renowned for building small, monotyped wooden boats, as well as larger ones such as the pilot boats of the Gironde estuary. The Lys Noir is inspired by the construction of these boats, but is much longer. Where the pilot boats were around 14 meters long, the Lys Noir has a hull measuring 18 meters and an overall length of 24 meters.
In those days, the boat wasn't white like all yachts. Registered with the Yacht Club de France, she was registered in Bordeaux and raced between Royan and Belle-Île. During the season, 3 Breton sailors lived up front, and she took part in the great regattas of the era in the 1920s and 1930s. After the Second World War, the boat was abandoned in Bordeaux. It was a Norman who, on seeing her in a mudflat, literally fell in love with the boat and bought her. He renamed her "Océanic" to "Lys Noir", a name he felt better suited to his Mediterranean charter project, and even invented a legend around the new name.
In the 1960s, he chartered between Saint-Tropez, Italy and Corsica, but at the end of the 1970s, he returned to Granville. There, the boat was again abandoned and began to rot. A Parisian waiter who had inherited a small sum of money bought her and began restoring her. Unfortunately, the inheritance was spent entirely on the restoration, which remained unfinished, and the boat was seized by the bank. It was then abandoned on the quayside, with only a quarter of the renovation completed. Several years later, in the 1990s, Alain Lainé and his partner Claire Vaillant fell in love with the boat and entered it in the Chasse-Marée . It is accepted and will be fully renovated at the Anfray yard in Granville over a 2-year period. The original rigging will then be restored.
Can you tell us about your first encounter with Lys Noir? How does it feel to sail on a Bateau d'Intérêt Patrimonial?
I met Le Lys Noir in Granville. I used to do a lot of convoying, but after the birth of my son, I had to adapt to more seasonal jobs. That's when I worked on the Lys Noir for 6 months. The boat was owned by Pascal Blanchet, the owner of the speedboats Pretty France on the Granville-Chausey route. He had bought it for his daughter-in-law. On the first day, he said to me: " You see the boat in the harbor over there, you take it. And you just bring it over to the area next to it." . He gave me the keys and then I realized that I had to manage on my own. I was in total stress at that point, because I realized that the boat was at a dead end in the harbor, and that when it was going astern, it wasn't responding at all. I had to call the harbour master's office to come and help us. I wasn't really familiar with this type of boat with a long keel, but everything went well. After that, I did 6 months in season. A few weeks after I started, I had to take the boat to Vannes, in the Gulf of Morbihan, for the Semaine du Golfe. I sailed non-stop for 48 hours to get her there. It was the perfect way to get the hang of things. And that's when I realized that the boat was really nice, and not too demanding.
As soon as I started sailing on this old rig, it was a real trip back in time for me, something I love. I've sailed quite a few Minis. There are bits and pieces everywhere, adjustments in every direction. What I like most is the beauty on the water; it's offering this spectacle to others. And I know that as long as old boats are sailing, they continue to live, to stand the test of time.
How does Le Lys Noir contribute to the preservation of our maritime heritage, and what initiatives are in place to raise public awareness of this mission?
Before I bought the boat, it was being built in Granville. Yann Mauffret, director of the Le Guip yard in Brest, came to examine her free of charge. He told me that in the state she was in, I could already start earning money with her to pay off my loan. His main advice was to sail as much as possible, to show the boat to the public so that people could get to grips with it and fall in love with it. Some of the original structural parts are over 110 years old, and one day they'll have to be replaced. If I can touch people's hearts, it will be easier to find the funds to restore her.
What activities did Lys Noir offer this summer?
I do charter, day trips in the Gulf of Morbihan and to Houat Island, as I used to do on 60-foot catamarans, so I know the area. Around 5,000 people discover the boat every year. They take part in the life of the boat by coming aboard, and of course we involve them in the maneuvers. Even though Guillaume, my first mate, could do it all, we like to get the passengers involved, and anyone who wants to pull on the ropes is welcome!
For those who have never experienced a cruise aboard the Lys Noir, how would you describe your experience at sea?
Ah, I see it as an experience, a real trip back in time. That's the feeling I had the first time I sailed on it. I felt like I was 100 years back in time. I like that idea.
It's true that I'd done a lot of racing boats, so it was a big change for me. Here, it's an old-fashioned sailing experience. What I like about it is that, unlike modern boats, it's an open deck, totally flat. You can walk from bow to stern, which isn't really possible on modern boats with their gangways.
Is there a typical passenger profile aboard the Lys Noir?
There are people of all ages. This will be my 4th season. What I've noticed in 4 years is that the audience is getting younger every year. When I started out, it was almost exclusively retired people. Today, for example, I go to Houat and there are still a lot of people born in the 50s and 60s. At the height of summer, however, the average age is around 30-35, which wasn't the case at all at the start. We attract more young people. At the same time, we're really sailing. Even with 6-7 knots of wind, the boat is sailing at 4-5 knots. We're always trimming and adjusting the sails. I think that appeals to young people, unlike heavier boats, like the old non-heeling cargo boats, which appeal more to an older audience.
You mentioned a legend surrounding the Black Lily. Can you tell us more about its origins?
It's a legend invented by the 2nd owner, Monsieur Redy. He said that the boat had been commissioned by an Austro-Hungarian princess who had won the jackpot at the Royan casino. She had used the money to order a yacht. Unfortunately, the princess was not on the winning side in the First World War. The boat should have been called "Lys Noir", in reference to the coat of arms of her royal family, according to some research I've heard. However, this story is completely false. There is no Austro-Hungarian princess, let alone a "Black Lily". Monsieur Redy had planned for the boat to be called "Lys Noir" right from the start. After buying the boat, he simply reinstated the original name. But the legend lives on, and some people in Granville still believe it. Everyone told the story. But Alain Lainé, who renovated the boat in the 90s, confirmed to me that it was completely false. It was simply tourist propaganda that worked and still works; a pretty funny story to hear.
Does the Lys Noir continue to sail in winter? Do you have any future plans for this boat?
Every year, we try to break the routine of our daily outings. We're invited all over the place, so we pick and choose. This year, we went to Brest. We also visited Pont-Aven during the Belle Angèle festival. Next year, we plan to return to the birthplace of the boat, in the Arcachon basin. Every year in April, there's a boat show there. We've been in touch with them, and the Lys Noir will be the boat of honor for its 111th birthday! We're going to take advantage of the occasion to put together a file to apply for the boat to be classified as a Historic Monument. This will enable us to gather as much information as possible about the Lys Noir during our stay in Arcachon. There are very few period photos. There may be a few more in local archives. So we're going to put out a call for information, photos and any documents concerning the Lys Noir at the time. Another project we'd very much like to realize is to take part in the Hoalen Brest Douarnenez Classic. We hope to be able to find the funds next year to take part!
