- At the eve of the 2007 sailing season, the Belem is currently spending a four week period in the historic Norman town of Rouen. Since March 18th, St Patrick's Day, the three masted barque is docked in front of the Maritime Museum, at the foot of the spectacular ultra-modern Gustave Flaubert Bridge, and has been daily welcoming thousands of visitors, including many schoolchildren. Usually, this type of event takes place at the end of the ship's sailing season, in the autumn, but this year it has been reversed and, until April 14th, the Belem will serve her stint as floating Museum, in partnership with the Association of the Rouen Armada, the famous tall ships festival.
- Captain Jean-Alain Morzadec and first mate Cedric Boulos are in charge of the Belem during her stay in Rouen and during the first part of the season, starting with the first trip, Cherbourg-Brest, beginning April 17th.
- Very changing weather in Rouen these last weeks – so a cold Norman drizzle was making itself clammily felt on March 23rd when cartoonist Jean-Yves Delitte, author of the successful album “Belem-Le Temps des naufrageurs” arrived at the harbour and actually came into direct contact with the ship that was at the heart of his talented drawings. Delitte was delighted to meet his main character “in 3D”, as he put it, after having worked from pictures, films, photographs and, of course, his own imagination. But, he pointed out, his story concerned the Belem as it was built in 1896, and since then she has been revamped several times; however, Jean-Yves Delitte as so many thousands of admirers, fell under the spell of the Belem such as she is today and has decided that, first of all, he wants to take a trip aboard and, secondly, is very probably going to come up with a new gripping adventure based on the ship's long story...
Le Belem a accosté à Rouen le 17 mars dernier pour débuter la saison par une grande escale d'un mois, qui permettra aux Rouennais et plus largement à toute la région normande et parisienne de venir visiter gratuitement le célèbre trois-mâts.
Jean-Yves Delitte a enfin rencontré le Belem ! L'auteur de l'album Belem - Le temps des naufrageurs était à Rouen le 23 mars dernier pour une séance de dédicaces à bord ; il nous raconte son émotion, mais aussi ses projets...
Après onze ans de navigation à bord du Belem, Bernard Antoine quitte ses fonctions de Second capitaine du trois-mâts. Il évoque ici ses souvenirs et son attachement au navire.
