Age of Sail: the Turk family, the Grand Turk, HMS Indefatigable, Papillon, Etoile du Roy...

This is an interesting one. When I saw the Etoile du Roy over the summer, I was instantly in love with her – but when I researched her a little bit, it turns out I have seen her before many times over the years in her different guises.

Originally built by the Turk family, an English ship and boat building family who can trace their Thames water vessel lineage back to the 12^th Century; the Grand Turk was designed in 1997 and built in the Turkish seaport of Marmaris; presumably because labour and materials were cheaper there than in the UK.

It was a major achievement – the first frigate of its kind built to almost original specifications in 150 years. Constructed from the rot-resistant African teak and mahogany, she stands proud as a fully rigged ship of 152 foot.

The Grand Turk, built in Turkey, and here being boarded by a Turk... who is also grand.

She made numerous appearances on the ITV series Hornblower as the HMS Indefatigable, and later the French Papillon. I watched this series in its entirety as a youngster, soaking up the bloody swashbuckling action. The books by C.S. Forester are practically the invention of Historical Fiction as we know it today, and the main inspiration for Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series. Despite being nigh on a century old, Forrester's books are still a cracking good read and have aged very little.

Post-Hornblower, the Grand Turk mainly resided in Whitby – one of my favourite weekend visits from early childhood until this day. It’s here my family would go for a paddle in the sea, hunt for fossils, jet and fool’s gold, stuff our faces with fish and chips followed by fudge and rock. I can see where she stood now, upon the river Esk, moored on the North side of town, just before the swing bridge. Dozens of times I saw her there, and was completely oblivious of her stardom from Hornblower.

Night time in Whitby - Grand Turk's home for a decade.

Thinking back, it was probably scenes such as these: a ship from the Age of Sail, nestled between the North York Moors and the grim North Sea, that were some of the earliest inspirations for my current writing. My anti-hero is from Whitby, and that wonderful town features frequently in my stories.

What a coincidence then that she has now been bought by a French antique vessel enthusiast, and she lives in Saint Malo, which for me is a Breton Whitby, and another family favourite holiday spot.

In 2005, before she changed colours, the Grand Turk became a temporary stand in for Nelson’s Victory at the International Fleet Review.

As of 2010 though, she is very much French. Gone is the Grand Turk’s turban-clad figurehead, to be replaced with a slightly cheesy one-eyed pirate wench. Her deck contains a permanent stall selling cheap pirate flags and flick-knives with her new name: the Etoile du Roy (Or the Royal Star – a curious name for a Napoleonic replica serving the Republic!). I bought one of said knives – it’s a bugger to open!

The Grand Turk

The Etoile du Roy

The Etoile du Roy is available, rather cheaply in my opinion, for sailing holidays – and corporate functions. When it’s docked in Saint Malo, she’s open to look around. French or British – she’s a beautiful thing. The video on the Etoile's website shows parts of Saint Malo, and her final voyage from Whitby to France as the Grand Turk, still with the original figurehead and manned by her old English crew.

Ale...

...sleep.

Below are some of the other antique vessels owned and maintained by the Etoile Marina in Saint Malo, Brittany:

Brittany - Celtic Arthurian Landscape & a Rogues' Nest to boot!

Brittany, along with Cornwall and Wales, is one of the last refuges of the indigenous British people. An independent kingdom up until the 1500’s, it has always had its own identity separate from the rest of France.

It has its own flag, its own language (which resembles Cornish), its own music which is similar to Irish – but with a few extra notes for good luck. They even have their own bagpipes! A place so close to France, and often disputed between warring duchies and countries, the place is steeped in history. You can barely walk over a hill without finding some ancient earthwork, dolmen or castle.



Port Dinan from the viaduct to Dinan. I can see my favourite pastry shop...



Brittany has always had a special place in my heart – for many years it was the location of my family summer holiday – and what awesome holidays they were for a history and outdoor enthusiast. I have family there in the gorgeous medieval city of Dinan (think French York). And now that I live in the Channel Islands, I am very close indeed.

Of course the food and drink are awesome – with such fine delights as elderberry ale, buckwheat whisky, sparkling ciders, sweet pastries, apple baked shortbreads and stuffed brown buckwheat crepes. And the seafood? Well... wow.

Bonnet Rouge - red elderberry ale. Quite clearly I didn't have time to take a steady photograph... there was ale at stake after all!

I am going to do a series of posts on my brief foray a couple of months ago, showing Dinan, Dinard, Lehon, and of course the Corsair city of Saint Malo. Here are some taster photographs:



Dinan





Walking the river from Dinan to Lehon





Abbey at Lehon





Abbey at Lehon





Entrance to Saint Malo - with a very piratical looking vessel...





Saint... Cervent? I think... This is the river Rance - separating Saint Malo from Dinard.





More on this bad boy to come... (the ship - not me)







German gun emplacement, chewed up by American fire in WWII. Note the unexploded shell in the middle! I pity the germans that were inside for the noise alone.