Cancale bisquines reached their peak at the beginning of the XXth century, the time when La Perle was built in the Jules Bouchard shipyards.

A few large bisquines did line fishing in the summer months, yet mostly went trawling. Besides the master and a boy, there were 5 crew.
Every year daily for a few days la caravane took place: the bisquines would sweep the oyster-beds in the Bay of Cancale. And in the morning, all boats would set sail at the same time to reach their fishing grounds, a splendid display of sails no one was prepared to miss.

The Cancale boat races first occurred in 1845 and were a regular event up until the bisquines were abandoned. The competition between crews was stiff. Worst to be feared was a victory by a Granville boat.

Bisquines were seen in great numbers in the early XXth century, yet were no longer used by 1940.
Thanks to the sheer will and dedication of Jean Le Bot, whose project was initiated in 1965, it was possible to launch La Cancalaise, a replica of La Perle, on 18th April 1987.
In turn the people of Granville launched La Granvillaise, their own bisquine, in 1990.

In the monograph, lovers of model-making will find scale drawings for cant-bodies, timber work, all details for the fishing gear and utility boat, and of course all the ship’s gear including the sails for the boat races.

Specifications:

Model building: easy

Scale of drawing: 1/50th
Two scale drawings, three photographs, one notice (in French).