| Popular tradition has it that the most significant evangelists
of our area arrived in Brittany on board... stone vessels.
Saints Samson, Helen and Malo certainly arrived by sea. They sailed
in either Irish curraghs or Welsh coracles. These boats of wooden frames
covered with skins, were ballasted with blocks of granite carved to the
shape of the vessel. Their boats, abandoned where they landed, decayed,
leaving only the granite.... |
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| Today, this legend still makes many Bretons dream and one of
them has decided to make his dream reality with the utopian ambition to
cross the channel again in a stone boat...
Jean-Yves Menez is this man. This sculptor from Morlaix, now living
in Lanhelin (35) wants to take part in Brest 2000 in a stone
boat.
Jean-Yves Menez is used to challenges considered impossible. “Only
the human body can’t be carved” he says. Everything else can be
!
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| Already several scientists are working on the project. The company
CREA 2000 and university of La Rochelle are collaborating
on the propulsion system.
More importantly, a scaled down model shown for the first time in Lanhelin
has floated for several weeks now. This model, which weighs 4,5 kgs, is
50 cms long and was carved from a 50 kgs block of Lanhelin blue granite.
Its design was directly inspired by Viking boats, it also contains a granite
sculpture weighing 1 kilo. |
| A second model, also in blue granite, 75 cms long,
weighing 10 kgs and carved from a block weighing 240 kgs is currently
on show in various exhibitions in and around St Malo and Dinard.. |
Blue granite of Lanhélin
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| It is possible to extrapolate ad infinitum : Thus a boat
of 5m would weigh 4,5 tons, could carry one ton, and would be carved out
of a rock weighing 50 tons. Even now we can carve away 98 % of the weight
of the original block - You can see light through a thin sheet of granite.
An 8 metre boat would need a block weighing 220 tons and could carry
a load of 4300 kgs. |
“The ideal size seems to be 7 to 8m” judges Jean-Yves.
“The boat would be propelled by a light and simple junk-type rig.
I also dream of decorated freeboards. They could be illustrated by cartoonists
to tell the tales of the celtic saints...”
Jean-Yves knows he will have to convince financial partners to conclude
his project and take part in Brest 2000.
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| For any contact:
Jean-Yves Menez
4, place du calvaire
35720 LANHELIN
FRANCE
Fax : 33 02 99 73 74 96
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Or by Internet :  jymenez@dinard.com
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