Anyone who works so hard and earns so well is allowed to treat themselves. In 1868, his first sailing boat, the SaintMichel, was completed and christened after his son. Biographer Max Popp’s description of the yacht: »Would you like to make the acquaintance of the Saint-Michel? … It is a yacht of 8 to 10 tonnes, rigged like the fishing boats in the Bay of Somme. At the bow, a cabin for the crew; at the stern, a room for the captain and his guests, if one can call a cabin 4½ feet high and 6 feet wide a room; to the right and left, two frames leaning against the side of the boat, which, thanks to their seaweed mattresses, serve as two beds of dubious softness. Behind the stairs – or rather the flight of steps – leading down from the deck of the room in question, a wide cupboard containing the ship’s library, that is to say, the tide tables, a few nautical charts, and three or four thick dictionaries and travel guides. On the deck, a cannon that one must not fire without first commending one’s soul to God, so easily might it burst to pieces.« The Saint-Michel proved to be an excellent ship. Verne was delighted: »The Saint-Michel […] became one of the fastest ships in the Bay of Somme, and with a good breeze it simply flies over the water! We had to contend with very heavy seas, but the ship always behaved impeccably.« On board this yacht, Jules Verne also wrote parts of »Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas«, another successful novel. »What beautiful things I found at sea whilst sailing on the Saint-Michel!« But their range was limited to coastal navigation. Verne was therefore looking for a larger boat that was comfortable yet fast, and did not require too large a crew. A year earlier, he had become a member of the highly exclusive Yacht Club de France and now needed a yacht that lived up to his reputation. A captain with whom he sometimes sailed recommended the pilot boats of the port of Le Havre, the famous »Hirondelles de la Manche«, which were renowned for their speed. This is because, with pilot boats, the contract goes to whoever arrives first at the ship anchored in the roadstead. For this, one needs fast boats with a small crew. So in 1875 he commissioned his second boat. The Saint-Michel II had a hull derived from pilot cutters and was built by the Abel Le Marchand shipyard. The 20-ton vessel was fitted out to the author’s specifications and even featured a small writing salon. Unlike its predecessor, it could not be based in Le Crotoy, as it was a long-keeled vessel and therefore no longer suitable for the shallow-water harbour there. Thus, the fishing village of Le Tréport became its home port. Eine Replik der Saint- Michel begeistert heute noch // A replica of the SaintMichel still captures the imaginations even today 84
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