1896, France
She is the last three-masted French barque, oldest three-masted ship in Europe in seaworthy condition and the second biggest sail ship in France.
The Belem was originally built as a three-masted cargo barque for transporting cacao between Brazil and France.
In 1914, the Duke of Westminster bought her and refitted her ...
1896, France
She is the last three-masted French barque, oldest three-masted ship in Europe in seaworthy condition and the second biggest sail ship in France.
The Belem was originally built as a three-masted cargo barque for transporting cacao between Brazil and France.
In 1914, the Duke of Westminster bought her and refitted her as a luxurious pleasure yacht and enjoyed her for only seven years.
Then the Irish beer Baron Sir A.E. Guinness bought her, renamed her Fantôme II, revised her square rig and took her cruising all the way to Japan and Tahiti. Upon his death, the ship remained in Cowes (Isle of Wight) from 1939 to 1950.
She was then bought by Venzian Count Cini who refitted as a barkentine and renamed her in memory of his deceased son Giorgo Cini and was used as a school for orphans until 1972. Then she acquired by the carabinieri (Italian military police) until 1979 before returning to France in 1980. After being fully restored to her original condition, she stayed anchored in Paris for a while and nowadays she only leaves her home port of Nantes to cruise in European waters only with rare exceptions such as in 1986 for the Op Sail in New York or in 2002 when she sailed along historical routes towards Brazil.
