Secrets of Douarnenez

I wander around the narrow streets and ruelles of Douarnenez, recounting the life and history of the port town, while being filmed by Steve Stone of Off Center Harbor, who flew in from the USA so he could attend the celebrated local maritime festival in the summer.
Off Center Harbor, based in Brooklin Maine, have created an online resource of videos about sailing matters which is freely available to members. Their collection of videos features mariners and craftspeople at the very top of their game, showing exactly how they do things, and which products they use in their work. The videos also bring members aboard many of the finest dream boats (usually wooden) in the world for an immersive, close-up experience. The site is 100 percent membership driven, and does not accept advertising. The topics of the videos range from boatbuilding, to trimming sails, to a complete course on understanding every aspect of marine diesel engines.
Off Center Harbor writes: "As we proceed down this path, we aim to inspire the use of well-designed boats to connect with friends, family and the natural world. If, in the process, we can help parents and grandparents introduce their kids and grandkids to the freedom and self-reliance available on the water in a well-designed boat, Off Center Harbor will have been a success in our eyes."
www.offcenterharbor.com
This video is exactly the same as the version that can be found on the Off Center Harbor site, with the addition of my short introduction and the usual musical outro by Melanie Bell. An earlier version appeared on my channel briefly yesterday, which I took down as it had some glitches. I trust that this re-edited version is glitch free and beautiful.
MUSIC
Marie - Howard Harper-Barnes
Footprints in the Sand - Roots and Recognition featuring Melanie Bell
all from Epidemic Sound
www.epidemicsound.com
INTERESTED IN DINGHY CRUISING?
Read my book, 'The Dinghy Cruising Companion'
www.bloomsbury.com
And join the Dinghy Cruising Association:
www.dinghycruising.org.uk
AVEL DRO, my own boat, only briefly appears in this video.
Avel Dro is an Ilur designed by François Vivier, and built of clinker plywood by Les Charpentiers Reunis of Cancale in 1994. I bought her in France in 2003 to import her into the UK, and more recently returned her to France again. The design is based closely on the traditional inshore fishing boats of Brittany in the early years of the twentieth century - hence her simple boom-less lugsail rig and lack of a mainsheet horse, (sometimes controversial among my viewers). Although rare in Britain, Ilurs are relatively common in France. Modern Ilurs are slightly different from mine, as they have more built in buoyancy. The name Avel Dro is Breton, Avel = wind, Dro = to turn - so it means a whirlwind.
Length 4.44 m
Sail area 12.2 m²
Beam 1.70 m
Draught 0.25 / 0.86 m