Barque du Léman

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A Barque du Léman on the move ( La Savoie )
Meillerie's coat of arms depicting the type of ship

The Barque du Léman is a small, historical type of ship on Lake Geneva ( Lac Léman in French ). Another well-known name is Barque de Meillerie after the town of Meillerie on Lake Geneva .

history

This type of ship was widespread on the lake for centuries and was mainly used for stone transport, with part of the stone load being stowed below deck and part on deck. The surviving specimens are used today as traditional ships.

Construction

The hull, which is around 30 meters long and around seven meters wide, is made of wood with crawler planking . The forward stem is protruding and only slightly raised. The stern ends in a mirror and the tiller-guided rudder. It closes at deck level without being raised, which is why it only has a few centimeters of freeboard when unloaded. The bulwark at the side can be raised with clip-on risers that protect against splashing water or waves. Often there was a plank walkway to stake the ship in the calm.

The rigging of the two-masted ships consists of large latin sails and represents the most northerly traditional variant used. With aft winds, the front sail was exposed to port, the rear sail to starboard.

literature

  • Bathe, BW: Ship Models, 4: Foreign Small Craft . Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London 1966.

Web links