Sailing: the bisquine de Granville

Granville, West coast of the Cotentin (Bay of Mount Saint-Michel) was built on the Pointe du Roc. Protected by remparts in 1720, the city opens on the sea. For over 4 centuries, the wealth of the port was made by fishing cod at Newfoundland. Te pleasure harbour has up to 1000 moorings, the fishing harbour ranks 5th for tonnage in France, commerce is open on the whole region and numerous travellers embark for Chausey and the anglo-normand islands. Granville main museums are the musee ethnographique du Vieux Granville, Richard Anacreon Modern Art Museum and Christian Dior museum.

Until 1940, bisquine boats were the typical fishing boats of the bay, angling, trawling or dredge for oysters mainly. Bisquines were powerful and had a wide sail area. Twice or thrice a year the bisquines of Granville would compete against Cancale's. Today remain the replicas of "La Cancalaise" and "La Granvillaise", that one built on the plans of the bisquine "Rose Marie" (1899, Louis Julienne). Length 32,30m, fishing sails 293 m2.

Chausey, a paradise for sea birds and shellfish, at 1 hour's boat of Granville, are the only islands still French within the anglo-normand islands. Granite from Chausey has long been extracted and sailed to Granville to build, among other wonders, the Mount Saint-Michel.

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