Maritime museum recalls French yachting great
15 August 2007Legendary French yachtsman Eric Tabarly is to be commemorated in a new maritime exhibition hall overlooking the Lorient basin.
The Cité de la Voile is an innovative wave-shaped building which appears to hover over the quayside and features a stunning glass facade incorporating 500 sq m of Pilkington Suncool™.
The Euros 18m project is part of the redevelopment of the Lorient submarine base and will contain a number of tourism and display spaces, including the country's first sailing museum.
Born in 1931, Eric Tabarly was a record-setting long-distance sailor and considered the father of French yachting. He was awarded the Legion d'Honneur in 1964 and was tragically lost at sea in 1998. Some of his yachts - all named Pen Duick - are moored at Lorient.