Voyages of Valour: French Maritime Pioneers & Their Legacy

France, full sails to the wind of history, has a rich and impressive maritime legacy. With the compass of audacity in hand, French mariners embarked on daring voyages, bridging the world by conquering vast oceans and unveiling new territories.

Breton Jacques Cartier (1491 – 1557) was one of those to undertake a daring voyage across the Atlantic to explore the Canadian coast. There, he discovered Prince Edward Island and the Gulf of St Lawrence, as well as the St Lawrence River, a trip which later led to France laying claim to North America.

Two centuries on, another keen seafarer, Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, set his course across the Atlantic. Guided by a vision of freedom and independence, he met with George Washington and sparked a flame of French support for the American struggle for independence.

He took to the seas from Rochefort in a frigate named the Hermione in 1780, arriving in Boston some weeks later with the news that French reinforcements were on their way. A faithful reconstruction of the Hermione was begun in Rochefort in 1997, and in 2015 the ship made the voyage to Boston once more.