French three-master 'Marité' queenpiece at Water-rAnt

The tenth edition of the Water- rAnt Festival welcomes a very special guest of honour: the French three-master Marité. The ship walked off the dock in 1923 as the last sailing ship for cod fishing on Newfoundland. Even then, that form of fishing was on its last legs and was rapidly being overtaken by motorised fishing. The ship fell into disrepair for decades, until it was first refurbished by Swedish enthusiasts in the 1970s. In 2004, the ship came into French hands and after a restoration in 2012, it shines like never before.