Grandcamp

Grancamp-Maisy (Calvados) adorned itself with a million flowers in tribute to those lost at sea on the occasion of the blessing of the sea held after 20 years of absence on Sunday, August 14, 2022followed the next day by the Sailor’s Day. Between contemplation and festivities, these two days will be remembered.

3 years of preparation

It took three years of preparation so that this Festival of the Sea sees the light of day. A cause that has strongly mobilized the inhabitants of Grandcamp-Maisy. “A 90-year-old woman has been preparing paper flowers for two years at home,” says a family of secondary residents, seated at the Café du Port.

The day before the celebrations, 500 Grandcomaiserais and volunteers from local associations gathered for decorate five quarters and twenty fishing boats. “This event succeeded in combining responsibility, organization and bringing together the different populations. Such an event really unites people, ”congratulates the mayor, Éric Poissonnière.

Recognition for the seafaring profession

Grandcamp-Maisy is above all a family port. “Here, everyone knows each other and the port is central since 75% of the activity of the municipality is concentrated there”, illustrates the mayor. For a whole generation of fishermenthis Blessing of the sea is the first. “We are born sailors, it’s a profession that we have been passed on and that we keep for life”, says one of them, still at the Café du Port.

Fisherman, a craft profession

The importance of transmission was also at the heart of the homily of Mr. Rault during his mass pronounced on the port on Sunday morning. A strong moment, tinged with a collective spirituality, during which Bishop Rault recalled that without preservation of the seabed, there could be no transmission.

“The earth is like Noah’s ark which sails on the waves of an uncertain future”, he compared then. Words received with a certain emotion, at the height of the dramatic consequences linked to the unbridled disappearance of marine species. “To plunder our planet and deprive it of this environment which we all need is simply inhuman”, he pointed the finger at the “factory ships”, in contrast to the coastal ships.

“If there were more sailors like us, there would certainly be more fish in the sea,” said a worried young fisherman he met on the second day of the festivities. “The shell is the heart of our activity, we must ensure its preservation, otherwise we will have nothing to live on”. An awareness that is particularly rooted in the latest generation, which must be as much a “manager as a sailor”, admits Éric Poissonnière.

A stele in honor of those perished at sea

On Sunday afternoon, the sculpture at the entrance to the port, made by Roland Moulin, was inaugurated. It is about a female representation, the glance turned towards the horizon, to celebrate the actresses of the shade in an exclusively masculine world. Women who nevertheless carry all the weight of such a profession and the fears associated with it.

A virtuous event

Joy took hold of the streets of Grandcamp-Maisy during this Sea Festival, which concluded with the second edition of the Sailor’s Day where locals and visitors meet are dressed in stripes. Throughout the afternoon, activities enlivened the Grand Cope maritime landscape. “This is an opportunity to restore the city’s nautical appeal, which has long been its essence,” concludes the mayor, who hopes to restore a balance between the various coastal towns, each of which has its own interest. “Grandcamp is not just about fishing, but everything related to water”.

Was this article helpful to you? Note that you can follow La Renaissance le Bessin in the My News section. In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.