Di Belem, dat fine three-mast ship, don return to Marseille exactly two years after e carry di Olympic flame enter France. On Wednesday 6 May, e sail enter Vieux-Port and go stay there for public to visit.
Dis na big return for di Belem for Marseille. Two years ago, e make history for di Olympic Games, and now e don come back to di city wey love am well well. Hundreds of Marseille people gather for di quay to welcome am. One man tok, ‘E fine well well, we no dey see am often. Dis kind beautiful boat, e represent France well.’
Everybody wey dey there remember di 8 May 2024, when di Belem enter Marseille with di Olympic flame. Dat day na historic day wey mark di city and di whole France. Two years after, di feeling still strong. To celebrate di return, some families get chance to board di ship and experience di arrival. Dem even help to hoist di sails.
Di Belem na ship wey dem build for di 19th century. E be one of di oldest three-mast ships for di world. First, dem use am to carry cocoa for trade. Now, e dey open to public, and e job na to make people dream. One woman tok, ‘To be on a historical ship with all this history, e be magic. We get extraordinary chance.’
Aymeric Gibet, di captain of di Belem for 11 years, say, ‘I realize every time say I get incredible chance to get fantastic work tool. If dem tell me as small boy say I go be captain of Belem, I no for believe am.’ For di distance, Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde fit see. Di sea ride dey finish. Like two years ago, di Belem dey glide towards Marseille, with many small boats escorting am. On deck, excitement dey rise. Memories dey come back. One passenger tok, ‘E be mythical. I almost cry. E dey incredible.’ Another add, ‘I no go cry, but tears dey near.’
Di Belem go remain for Vieux-Port for di whole weekend, so Marseille people and tourists fit board am and relive di magic of di Olympic Games.
Di story between di three-mast ship and di city na exceptional one. E start on 8 May 2024 afternoon, when di Belem enter Vieux-Port with di Olympic flame, before more than 150,000 people. Di ship don finish 11-day journey from Athens. Dat moment launch di Paris Olympic Games and give images wey remain for di memory of Marseille people.
Two years exactly after dat triumphant arrival, di 19th-century ship dey make new stop for Lacydon. E go anchor on Friday 8 May at 4pm for quai de la Fraternité, before opening to public on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 May, from 10am to 6pm, for visits wey go allow people to dive into di legend of ‘di last survivor of di big French commercial three-mast ships’.
On Thursday 7 May, some privileged visitors board di 58-meter giant for early visit, while e still dey anchored near Mucem. Dem quickly fall back into ‘di Olympic atmosphere’. Nadine, wey participate for di flame relay for 2024, tok, ‘We see images of di entry into port under smoke and crowd shouts, we tink about dat magical relay, di popular fervor. Big memories!’
But if dat day for 2024, ‘di Belem don travel di most important 100 meters of its last 40 years’, di visit on board allow people to ‘discover a mythical ship’ and see di XXL dimensions of dis ‘jewel of maritime archaeology’, wey dem build for Nantes for 1886. Aymeric Gibet, captain for 12 years, wey guide di ship into Vieux-Port with emotion two years ago, tok, ‘E be true museum wey dey move, unique testimony of di history of merchant navy for late 19th century. But di most important be say e still dey sail. Besides its fame, e don become a school ship open to all, where thousands of trainees navigate every year with professional sailors, to discover di sea and continue to write di history of Belem.’
After crossing di Atlantic for its early years to bring cocoa from Brazil, turning into yacht for English lords for early 20th century, and completing world tours for brewer Arthur Guinness, di ship don belong to Caisse d’Epargne since 1979. Jean-Charles Filippini, president of di Belem Caisse d’Epargne foundation, tok, ‘Our goal na to ensure di preservation of di ship and also allow navigation to as many people as possible and make dem discover life at sea on an old sailing ship. For each crossing, 48 trainees go to sea with 16 professional sailors, to take watches, steer, pull ropes. Dem live like sailors of di 19th century. Since four years, we also set up an insertion program, to bring young people from popular neighborhoods across France, including about 15 wey carry di Olympic flame.’
Trainees fit register throughout di year for crossings of 3 to 8 days, for Mediterranean but also for Atlantic coasts of Europe and Scandinavia, with navigation fees (580 euros per day) wey Caisse d’Epargne pay half. Filippini add, ‘E be dis wey keep di biggest French boat alive. And continue to make am an incredible ambassador of France for di world.’ Di ‘exceptional longevity’ don make di Belem a Historical Monument since 1984. François, 48 years, wey work for shipyards for La Ciotat, tok, ‘We sit on wooden benches wey get more than 100 years, we discover mechanisms wey still work after a century of use. We realize say human being fit do really incredible things. A chance wey Marseille people must take dis weekend.’
Do you have a news tip for NNN? Please email us at editor @ nnn.ng
