Time and tide wait for no man... The age-old saying applies just as well to Belem as to those who take care of her. Our ever hardy three masted barque has just settled into dry dock in Concarneau (Brittany) for her winter revamping yet her 2010 sailing season is finalised and ready for public disclosure at the Paris Nautical Exhibition, being held from December 5th to 13th.
The Belem Foundation team is of course “all present and correct” at the Belem Stand (N° 1M80, should you be dropping by...) and ready for a few days of hectic activity, with the much appreciated help of a number of volunteers. Members of the crew are also there to greet the public. First Mate Yannick Simon will not be able to join them however: he has gone off to Australia then Malaysia to join the French national team in the Match Racing World Cup. How's that for a time warp?
Details of the 2010 season will of course be available on this website as from December 15th, however here are a few titbits for starters: it will be a season dedicated to short training trips on the Atlantic, the Channel and the North Sea, so as to satisfy the growing number of trainees keen to sail on board Belem. Some new destinations have been added, such as St Brieuc, St Jean de Luz, Granville, La Trinité sur Mer... Belgium is also on the map: Belem will be present at the Ostend Tall Ships Festival. And, in July, a Roscoff- Dublin/return trip is on the cards, much to the satisfaction of many Belem trainees. For further details, remember December 15th.
Le mois de décembre est un mois riche tant à bord qu'à la Fondation : car si à Concarneau on s'active pour avancer sur les peintures et sortir le navire de cale sèche, à Paris c'est le lancement du programme 2010, à l'occasion du Salon nautique, qui mobilise toutes les forces. Hardis moussaillons !
Le dernier conseil d'administration de l'année avait à son ordre du jour le renouvellement de plusieurs de ses membres. Il a pu aussi se pencher sur un bilan de l'année 2009 particulièrement positif.
