Current Events
by Amy Austin
France:
Saint Malo
...for Class Afloat News, June 20, 1997
Saint Malo is located on the northern coast of France in the Brittany region. Eighty percent of this twelfth century city had to be restored in 1944 after the destructive German World War II occupation. The city’s history is filled with ancient legends, continuing traditions, and a booming seafaring industry, all of which, have a continuing influence on the world.
The most famous legend, set in the Forest de Broceliande near Saint Malo, is that of King Arthur and the wizard Merlin. To this day these legends are kept alive by curious scholars of all ages. In 1994, a project known as the Merlin Link began through the Centre d’Animation de la Valle in Saint Malo. A group of 15 to 21 year old boys and girls communicated with students in Paris and the United Nations International School in New York via Internet technology to study the old legends and create new legends.
In 1491 Jacques Cartier, the first European man to thoroughly explore Canada, was born in Saint Malo. He claimed possession of Canada in 1534 for the king of France. Seven years later he attempted to set up a colony in Quebec. The settlement failed and Cartier returned to Saint Malo, never to see the New World again. It would be another sixty years before France became interested in Canada again. Today, in modern day Quebec, the citizens still hold on to their French roots, and even desire to become a separate country from the English speaking regions of Canada.
The 17th and 18th centuries were very prosperous for the city as the "Men of Saint Malo" were the masters of the triangular trade route between West France, Spain, and South America. In the twentieth century, the city now houses an international sailing center and is the starting point of many English Channel and transatlantic races. In April 1997, Saint Malo hosted its Second Annual Sea Festival. The festival is a place for professionals and the general public to share their knowledge about yachting, sailing, and water sports, keeping the seafaring tradition of Saint Malo alive for generations to come.