Wissant 3 - Fête du Flobart 2024

Flobarts & fishing, local seafood, benediction and a fabulous Dutch brass band from Eindhoven

So what are flobarts; what is La Fête du Flobart and why are the Wissantais people so passionate about flobarts?

“Histoire” - a French word - means both history and a story.

As in many communities in different countries around the globe - it’s all about family, culture, tradition and local history. A common desire to show respect for those historical traditions and culture; for our parents, grandparents, great grandparents and further generations back down the family tree. And a need to keep those traditions alive for future generations.

Image https://www.ville-wissant.fr/actu-341-fete-du-flobart-2024.html

The Flobart fishing boat:

Until the 1950s, the flobart was used for rowing and sailing. Its rigging consists of a one-third main sail, called a purse, a one-third rear sail called a malet and a jib on the bowsprit (a pole that extends forward from the bow of a sailing ship). The flobart is constructed of elm, except for the oak keel. The planks which make up its hull are superimposed in a similar way to roof tiles (a "clapboard" construction). The flobart’s length ranges between 3.5 m to over 6 m.

Photo author

Since the 1950s, newly constructed flobarts were motorised. From the 1970s, wood was replaced by synthetic materials from moulds taken directly from original elm boats. As mentioned in my previous article, today there is only one flobart worked by a professional fisherman, all the others are owned by boaters or associations.

Photo author

The flobart is the traditional Boulonnais coast fishing boat, from Wissant in the north to Equihen in the south. Its shape is adapted for daily beaching with:

• a flat bottom

• a wide transom (the flat, vertical structure at the stern)

• a pot-bellied shape

• a clapboard construction

• a lifting central fin.

Photo author

The flobart is a versatile boat, which enabled fishermen to do several things. Its large volume due to its pot-bellied shape made it possible to carry a large length of nets or a large number of traps. The flobart can float in only 30 cm of sea water.

Photo author

Photo author

The traditional rope craft used in the bottom lines allowed fishermen to catch sole, plaice and cod, depending on the season.

Photo author

Today, the traditional ropes have been replaced by trammel nets (a rectangular fishing net made of three layers of netting that overlap and are anchored to the seabed) or gillnets (a vertical panel of netting that hang from a line with regularly spaced floaters/corks that hold the line on the surface of the water), which can also be used to catch herring in season (November-December).

The fishermen also fished for bass and mackerel with a dragging line, and crab and lobster with pots, especially in Audresselles.

The Boulonnais beaching boats crafted between the 19th century and the 1930s shared common characteristics: a similar shape, construction method and rigging. However, from one village to the next, size, interior layout and equipment varied, depending on the particular fishing carried out.

Photo author

The flobarts unique to Wissant, Ambleteuse, Audresselles and Audinghen, had small undecked tailpieces. In addition, Wissant had unique semi-deck boats for herring fishing.

Photo author

Sadly, all these Boulonnais boats have disappeared. With motorisation, they have been replaced by flobarts of approximately 3.2 m to 5 m. The Libert shipyard in Boulogne and the Etaples and Berck shipyards built even stronger flobarts, 5 m to 6.5 m, until the 1960s.

La Maison du Pêcheur:

In 2012, the Association des Flobarts des 2 Caps, wishing to promote the maritime heritage of Terre des Deux Caps (the land and sea between Cap Blanc-Nez and Cap Gris-Nez), investigated, proposed and negotiated the rental of a small, traditional fisherman’s house located at 2, rue Louis Blanc in Wissant. The association planned to convert the house into a small museum, dedicated to showing visitors how Wissantais fishermen lived in the past.

This fisherman’s house required several years of work involving cleaning, drying, securing and refurbishing. The project was undertaken with the financial support of the Parc Naturel des Caps et Marais d'Opale, la Commune de Wissant, the FLIP (Pays Boulonnais) and the Credit Agricole.

To visit the Maison du Pêcheur at 2, Rue Louis Blanc in Wissant: Go to Hôtel de la Plage 1, Place Edouard Houssin in Wissant (Tel. + 33(0)3.21.35.91.87). There is a charge of €2 for adults, €1 for children. You will then be given the access code for the Maison du Pêcheur, located 50 m from the hotel. Usually, the museum can be visited with lighting and commentary in French and English, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., every day.

Conservatoire des Flobarts:

Image Association des Flobart des 2 Caps

The Conservatoire is a large wooden shed, which houses all 26 of the association’s flobarts, which no longer sail. The oldest flobart dates from 1931.

The construction of the Conservatoire (30m long by 6m wide) took one month and was finished in April 2022. The structure is made of wood, with a tiled roof, to protect the flobarts from the wind. The project cost €65,000 The building was inaugurated and blessed at the end of May 2022.

© Lucie Carbajal/ FranceTv

The Association des Flobarts des 2 Caps is holding an Open House from Friday 23/08/24 4pm until Sunday 25/08/24, when you will be able to visit both the Conservatoire des Flobarts and the Maison du Pêcheur museum.

The locally known Baillet family will be present, selling fresh, local crabs, lobsters and whelks.

Local artisans, associations, organic market gardeners etc. will be present during this Open House weekend.

L'Aubette de Wissant:

Local fish, crabs, shellfish, mussels…

Image https://www.facebook.com/cotedopale.tourisme

Vincent Delliaux and his wife Sabrina run a hut (not a fish store), selling fish and shellfish from the local coast - la Côte d'Opale (so called because the chalk seabed under the sea water has a green opal colour seen from above). They take daily deliveries from a fishmonger and small fishing boats in Boulogne sur Mer.

Image Vincent Delliaux https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072036055661

Vincent comes from a local Wissantais family, with a long history of fishing. He is keen to offer work to local people. Vincent offers tours of the local Conservatoire des Flobarts and La Maison du pêcheur museum.

Vincent and Sabrina’s relatively new enterprise is proving popular with both locals and tourists.

Image https://www.cote-dopale.com/tourisme/aubette-de-wissant

Photo author

La Fête du Flobart:

Image https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563414539017

This year will be the 34th festival. There was no festival in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic and the subsequent festival in 2021, when you needed to show your Covid vaccination certificate on your mobile phone to get in, was very moving because for many people it was the first time they were able to gather again, as a large group of people, to listen to live music. Sadly, there was no festival in summer 2023 due to funding issues, which has caused local disagreements.

Typically, there are music groups, with a nautical twist, playing and singing on Saturday and Sunday into the evening; simple barbecued fish, wine and local beer to purchase and eat whilst you enjoy the live music and local artisans displaying and selling their local produce and art work.

Photo author

On Sunday, there is a mass for the fishermen and their families; a procession of the Flobart boats and their families around the village which ends on the beach - where the boats are taken out into the sea and the local priest blesses the boats. It is a very moving experience: a cyclical community celebration of local maritime history and culture.

Photo author: Benediction des Flobarts et Marins, Maurice Martin

Photo author

Photo author

Photo author

Photo La Voix du Nord

Photo La Voix du Nord

Photo La Voix du Nord Photo archives Severine Courbe

Wilhelmina Fanfare Eindhoven:

https://www.facebook.com/wilhelminafanfare

I first had the pleasure and privilege of listening to this brilliant PINK brass band outside Chez Nicole cafe in Wissant, during the Flobart festival in 2013. They were fun, joyous and put a smile on my face. I was delighted when Wilhelmina Fanfare Eindhoven returned in August 2015, when I was able to introduce my sister and nephew to their music.

https://www.facebook.com/wilhelminafanfare

And Wilhelmina Fanfare Eindhoven are returning this weekend, playing on Friday evening between 17:30 and 19:00 and again on Sunday between 18:00 and 20:00 (weather permitting). What an ending to this year’s Fête du Flobart that will be.

And here they are. Despite the windy weather, they are outside Chez Nicole Cafe on Friday evening 23/08/24. What a life affirming joy!

Video author

Video author Edith Piaf Non Je ne regrette rein

Video author Mozart