Photo: Philippe Aimar

Last month we posted about the Bugis schooners of Indonesia – Where the Age of Sail Never Ended – the Bugis Phinisi, an Appreciation. Recently AFP (Agence France-Presse) published an article about another region where the age of commercial sail still lives on, as well. The locally built schooners of Madagascar still play a key role in keeping the local economy functioning. AFP also posted a Youtube video showing the schooners being built on the beaches of the island off the coast of East Africa.

French schooners still set sail in Madagascar

What is striking about the schooners is that they are very different from the local sailing dhows that trade across the Indian ocean. The design of the Madagascar schooners looks European. This came to pass because of King Radama II who ruled Madagascar from 1861 to 1863. He rejected the isolationist policies of his mother, Queen Ranavalona I, and re-opened Madagascar to European influence. During his short reign, he invited the Joachim brothers, shipwrights from the French province of Brittany, to teach new shipbuilding techniques on the island. While the design and construction of these schooners has been modified to suit the needs of the local shipwrights, they still bear the distinctive look inspired by the shipbuilding brothers from Brittany.

The schooners keeping the Madagascan economy afloat

Thanks to Irwin Bryan and to Tom Russell on the Traditional Sail Professionals Linked-in List for pointing out the article.