JULY 1999 SEEN BY MANY OF THE WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL SAILBOATS THAT LIVE IN ROUEN, NORTHERN FRANCE, FOR A BACKGROUND FESTIVAL CALLED THE CENTURY ARMY. Thirty large sailing boats were moored in the four miles of springs appropriate for the occasion.
The event was called "Millennium Maritime Extravaganza". Concerts, fireworks, nautical activities and exhibitions of paintings and marine photographs were on the program of the event.
Friday, July 9th, was marked by the majestic arrival of the sailboats. Over the next ten days, millions of visitors from France and other European countries flocked to the docks.
Some of the ships, such as Dar Młodziezy (Poland), Chersones (Ukraine), Statsraad Lehmkuhl (Norway) and Libertad (Argentina), are sea giants with a length of 100 m, with the largest mast being the largest, rising 50 m above the water .
Sailboats from 16 countries were present, including Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Russia, Uruguay and Venezuela. With six ships, Holland was the most strongly represented country. These included the magnificent three-masted bark of Europe and the old Oosterschelde, a three-masted schooner introduced in 1918, which previously transported wood, salted herring, clay, grain, hay and fruit between Africa, the Mediterranean and the north. . Europe.
The navy offered visitors an exceptional opportunity to satisfy their curiosity. The bridges were removed and anyone could visit them for free.
Some of the ships have appeared in films. For example, the Norwegian ship Christian Radich starred in the 1958 film Windjammer. The old wooden kaskelot ("sperm whale" in Danish) has appeared in several films, including the French film Beaumarchais the Cheeky and a remake. from Treasure Island.
The Polish three-masted Iskra is unique in that its three masts have different platforms. The mast sail has a square mast, the main mast has a claw mast (trapezoidal) and the mast mast has a Bermuda sail (triangular).
Some of the old ships in Rouen were rescued from a water grave. For example, certain enthusiasts saved the Uruguayan captain Miranda by restoring the magnificent ship. The Etoile Molène, which was shipwrecked in the port of Douarnenez in Brittany in the early 1980s, has been carefully considered and restarted.
A local association of radio amateurs decided to establish a radio link between the Mir spaceship and the orbiting Russian Mir space station during the festival. Finally, on July 17th at 10:27 p.m., the connection between the three-masted ship and its "sister ship" was established in space. Captain Zorokhov was able to speak to Commander Afanassiev, who was about 350 km above the space station.
The navy peaked on Sunday 18th July with a parade on the Seine from Rouen to the sea. Hundreds of thousands of people lined up on the 120 km stretch and greeted the ship's crew as they passed old Norman villages, abbeys and castles.
Later, the magnificent sailing boats sail to a regatta, movie or other show in a distant harbor. The docks resumed normal activity. But Rouen will remember that it was the crossroads of the sailing world for at least ten days.
Brilliant one