A boat handmade by a carpenter from Maine
After years of research, in love with Joshua Slocum, navigator Guy Bernardin, a native of Saint Briac, acquired in 1993 a superb replica built in Maine (USA) in 1972, which he renamed Spray Of Saint Briac.
He was looking for a ship whose construction would have remained as close as possible to Slocum's. That's how he visited Maine, "Scud" a yawl shaped by Bernard Maynard, a naval carpenter from the old school. Scud is built with the same equipment, materials and tools as Slocum Spray.
It is a little larger than Slocum's boat, with a height of 2m under beam and moves 18 tons. Built in Virginia oak (just like Spray), it carries a - small - SAAB inboard diesel engine of 33 hp and no less than 6 anchors!
20 years on board
A runner tired of the noise of the Vendée Globe, BOC Challenge and other high-profile English Transat races in which he regularly took part, Guy Bernadin has taken the Spray of Saint-Briac several times around the world, sometimes alone or with his wife and young son on board. Bernardin has covered more than 50,000 miles on board. He gave conferences to finance his dashboard. Just like Slocum 100 years ago!
Another disappearance off the coast of Massachusetts
Leaving the Spray of Saint Briac in Brittany, Bernardin, at the helm of his new Crazy Horse (he had bought it specially for his participation in the "La longue route 2018" race), returns to Europe in early autumn 2017. His empty boat was found on October 2, 2017, off Cape Cod, not far from where Slocum disappeared... The two men will probably have long conversations to have about their Spray, where they are now!
In 2018, the Spray of Saint Briac for sale in Brittany for 49,000 ?.
