Francois Vivier, Eliboubane and Yvon Le Corre

The model boat is a sardinfiskare from Brittany. Just "Eliboubane" who inspired us...

courtesy Arwen

Exposition d'Yvon Le Corre

courtesy
IPPA Iles et Phares du Pays des Abers

courtesy
Stéphane Dugast

Eliboubane with Vincent Malandain as skipper.

courtesy Moulin-Mer

Eliboubane detail.

courtesy Moulin-Mer

courtesy

Jean-Michel Durieux

(The Tools of the Passion)

The pardon of Saint Eliboubane early 20th century: the departure of boats with banners (Etienne Bouille, AD 22)

courtesy
(c) Région Bretagne, 2008 ; (c) Conseil général des Côtes-d'Armor, 2008

Yvon at 71

courtesy Le Telegramme

The magnificent work of Yvon Le Corre is reissued by The Chasse-marée/Glénat, seven years after its previous printing and twelve years after the original publication. Legends of the hand of the author were added to a number of boards. (© Chasse-marée/Glénat)

courtesy Olivier Chapuis

Inside Outils

courtesy coop-breizh

Le Corre drawings and a base map Beautemps-Beaupre, a masterpiece of nineteenth-century French engraving. (Double page of the 2010 Double page of the 2010 edition of Tools of passion © Chasse-marée/Glénat)

courtesy Olivier Chapuis

'Twice Round theLoggerhead' was written by Lance Lee and Bruce Halabisky. It's a poetic tribute to the Azorean whaling tradition, illustrated by Yvon.

Francois Vivier is a French boat designer who, after a long practice as a naval architect designing large commercial craft, turned his eye and hand to smaller, more traditional craft. He primarily draws boats based on tradition but modified for more contemporary usage and building techniques, and does so brilliantly. He also occasionally draws plans for very traditional Breton boats. Eliboubane was a rather special request from celebrated artist Yvon Le Corre. Here's Francois:

"Yvon La corre is both an unequaled artist and sailor. Both are linked as his boats have always been a means to wander with paper and pencils and come back with awesome illustrated notebooks.
When the first volume of Ar Vag, was published, with an extensive description of Breton sardin boats, he wanted to rebuild one of them. Eliboubane was built in 1981 by Daniel boatbuilder in Paimpol on a line plan drawn by myself on the basis of historical plans. Original sardin boats had a crew of 7, but Yvon was frequently alone or with only a few people on-board. So he tried many rig arrangements, to avoid gybing the sails when tacking".

Eliboubane (10m l, 3m w, 6.4 T d) I have been in love with this boat since I first saw her. Her owner, Yvon Le Corre is a highly respected and rather prolific painter/illustrator and author. He's also widely regarded in his native France as a gifted sailor, some have even likened him to the fabled Moitessier in his love for the sea. As Francois says above, he's figured a method for sailing his dipping lugger singlehandedly. Admirable. Yvon uses his boats to travel and makes sketches along the way, which he then turns into beautiful paintings/illustrations.

I have a copy of 'Twice Round the Loggerhead', a special project written by Lance Lee and Bruce Halabiskey documenting the life and waning culture of the Azorean whalers. It's beautifully illustrated by M. Le Corre, who does more than justice to the elegantly elongated whaleboats developed in the Azores.

After years of trying to contact M. Le Corre to no avail, I now have a slow mail address to write him, hopefully more to come.