Specification
- Name: LE FRANCAIS
About
Biography
Le Français is a majestic three-masted barque, built in 1948 in Denmark under the name Kaskelot for the Royal Greenland Trading Company. She originally served as a freighter in the cold waters of the North Atlantic (sailing as far as Greenland, among other destinations). She then took part as a film sailing vessel in the United Kingdom.
She Finally arrived in France in 2018, where she was acquired by France Armement and has since been managed by Marine Évènements. She was renamed Le Français in tribute to Jean-Baptiste Charcot’s ship Le Français during his first expedition (1903-1905) to the Antarctic.
With her 47 meters long, three masts and 19 sails, Le Français impresses with her elegant silhouette. She embodies the living memory of the great French maritime adventure.
Now based in St. Malo, France, Le Français aims to introduce young people from all walks of life to the sea, as well as to maritime heritage and the world of traditional sailing.
Since 2021, the sailing vessel has been used by:
Ø Témoins Polaires (https://temoinspolaires.fr/), whose mission is to do “useful work” by bearing witness to climate change and promoting awareness, love, and respect for the poles, symbols of the beauty and fragility of our planet.
Ø Marine Evénements, which offers dockside charters for various types of events (conferences, evening events, etc.).
Ø the Grand Voilier Ecole association (https://www.asso-gve.fr/), whose mission is to transmit traditional maritime knowledge and the values of life as a crew aboard tall ships. She offers educational sailing trips open to all; young people, adults, schoolchildren, and people in integration programs to develop independence, solidarity, a sense of responsibility, and maritime culture.
The association takes on board approximately 2,600 young people each year and organizes on-board courses where participants become “crew members », discovering traditional sailing, sail handling, life on board, and life as a crew, while sharing an intense human experience. It is also part of an initiative to raise awareness about the sea, the marine environment, and naval heritage.
Soon, thanks to the Grand Voilier Ecole association and its patrons, Le Français will take part in the Tall Ships Races 2025*, with young people from the association on board who will experience an extraordinary adventure.
* Young members of the Grand Voilier Ecole association will embark, during the Le Havre – Dunkirk leg, aboard the sailboats Levitha, Hosanna, and the three-masted Le Français.
