BIGGER, FURTHER, FASTER After two years on the English Channel, Verne began to long for distant waters and a larger vessel. When the opportunity arose in November 1877 to purchase a steam yacht, Paul Verne urged his brother to seize it. The ageing Marquis de Préaulx had had the Saint-Joseph built for 100,000 francs, but then lost interest and put it up for sale for 55,000 francs. Jules tried to haggle the price down by 15,000 francs, but eventually gave in: 55,000 francs, quelle folie! ... But what a ship, and what voyages lay ahead! The Mediterranean, the Baltic and North Seas, Constantinople, Saint Petersburg, Norway, Iceland … After being sold, the Saint-Michel II served as a pilot boat in Saint-Nazaire until 1892. After returning to service as a pleasure yacht under the name Cattleya in Belle-Île-en-Mer, she was acquired by the island’s prison authorities, who used her for transport to the mainland and eventually applied for her to be scrapped in 1913. However, a replica of the Saint-Michel II is still sailing today. To mark the 100th anniversary of the writer’s death, the La Cale 2 association, which is dedicated to preserving maritime heritage, laid the keel for a replica of the ship in 2005. The construction of this replica was supported by the Musée Jules Verne in Nantes and the Marie-Fernand association. 85 Fotos: Magnific, Z VG Fullwave read more
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