Robert Surcouf had to turn over in his grave in the so-called Rocabey cemetery, in Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine). From the top of the city walls, he may have seen a tourist sailboat run aground this Saturday on a rock off his city. 26 people had to be evacuated, according to the maritime prefecture. These tourists had indeed taken place aboard the “Renard”, a copy of the boat of the famous Saint-Malo corsair…
The alert was given to the regional operational surveillance and rescue center (Cross) around noon, which coordinated the operations. “The boat, due to poor management of the water level, touched the bottom,” explained the on-call duty of the maritime prefecture of the Channel.
Mobilized in the operation, the national sea rescue company (SNSM) took charge of the evacuation of the passengers. “The SNSM of Saint-Malo evacuated 26 people while there were 28 on board”, added the “premar”. According to the maritime prefecture, “people were at the dock an hour after the alert”, safe and sound.
Two crew members would have remained on site to help bring back the boat which was stranded less than two kilometers north of Saint-Malo, at the level of the famous English rock, well known to sailors.
Photos taken by locals showed the yellow and black sailboat out of the water, the keel caught in a rock stretching the full length of the vessel. The operations continued in order to “clear the boat, because there is no waterway”. Once cleared by the rising tide, the ship returned to port. It was again visible around 6 p.m. in the Vauban basin in Saint-Malo.
30 m long, the “Renard” is the replica of the last ship fitted out in 1812 by the Saint-Malo corsair Robert Surcouf (1773-1827). It is managed by the Étoile Marine company, based in Saint-Malo, which offers cruises on heritage boats.