France’s last surviving three-mast, 22 sails vessel, whose maiden voyage was back on July 31, 1896 to Montevideo and Belem, Brazil, arrived this afternoon at the Port Hercules as the guest of honour during the Monaco Classic Week. It was originally a cargo ship, transporting sugar from the West Indies, cocoa and coffee from Brazil and French Guiana to France. Thanks to its Captain Julien Chauvelon Belem escaped the eruption of the Mount Pelee in Martinique when due to lack of mooring he decided to Anchor miles further in a beach away from the volcano. The Duke of Westminster bought it in 1914 and converted her into his private luxurious yacht, then in 1922 she was sold to beer baron Sir Arthur Ernest Guinness who was Rear Commodore of the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Kingstown, Ireland, who renamed her Fantome II and sailed the seven seas travelling around the world. While sailing the Pacific Ocean the ship escaped yet another catastrophe while approaching Yokohama during an earthquake that destroyed that harbour.  After the passing of Hon. Guinness in 1949 she was moored in the Isle of Wight until in 1951 she was sold to Vittorio Cini, a Venetian count renaming her Giorgio Cini after his son who had died in a plane crash in France. She was used as a sail training ship until 1965 when was considered too old for use and was moored in the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. It was in 1979 when the ship was returned to her home port as the Belem, under tow by a French tugboat, flying the French flag after 65 years. After being carefully restored to her original condition she began a new career as a sail training ship.

Belem will be open to the public on Thursday 12, Friday 13 and Saturday 14 from 10:00 to 18 :00 with the last boarding at 17:30. As a contribution to the Belem Foundation towards preservation of France’s maritime heritage, the entry fee is € 5 but free for children under 12 years old.

Photo by: Celina Lafuente de Lavotha