APPRENTICE SAILORS of all ages and sizes are getting ready to set sail from Brittany, in France, to Dublin on board a 19th-century trading ship, the Belem, just ahead of Bastille Day in July.
The four-day journey has been organised to celebrate 50 years of the culture and learning centre Alliance Francaise on Kildare Street, Dublin.
The 14 sailors, ranging in age from 17 to 64, met yesterday for the first time ahead of their ocean trip.
Maeve Sweetman (17), the youngest sailor, will be accompanied by her father, Mark.
“I’ve done the sailing camp in Dún Laoghaire but never anything like this”, she said.
Shipmate Síle Mongey, a 65-year-old veteran sailor, was on the Asgardwhen it sank in 2008. Despite this, her love of the sea has not waned.
“It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life”, she said. “You just went into mode and did what you were told.”
Fortunately, the group did not have to face the daunting prospect of a selection process and anyone who wanted to sail and pay was eligible to apply for the trip.
“The French were very keen but not as many Irish applied”, said Claire Bourgeois, director of the the alliance.
While they admit that their French isn’t great, the enthusiastic sailors said they were brushing up on it with a booklet provided by the alliance on important ship terminology.
The sailors will be joined by 34 others when the ship sets sail from Roscoff on July 9th.
The Belem, one of the oldest tall ships still sailing, has been docked in France for the past 30 years and was once owned by Arthur Guinness.
The ship’s arrival in Dublin will be celebrated with a French market on the quays, and will be greeted by the French ambassador in Dublin on July 13th – just in time for Bastille Day.