Some of F-X’s Boats Are Still Sailing

Jean-François presents some of the boats built by François-Xavier Lachance that still navigate today.

Jean-François Lachance, grandson of François-Xavier Lachance, is in the rowboat shop of the Parc maritime de Saint-Laurent. He speaks to an interviewer on the right side of the camera.

[Jean-François Lachance] There was an abandonment … of the marine heritage of wooden leisure boats. We do not see many. Those I have been tracing in recent years are more likely to have headed south.

Color photograph of the leisure boat Marie-Antoine at anchor, on a peaceful canal. Palm trees and lawn are in the foreground.

[J.-F. L.] Through my research in the last five years, I discovered

Back on Jean-François Lachance in the rowboat shop.

[J.-F. L.] at least two boats remained in the Caribbean, of which

Current photograph of a white yacht, from profile, on azure sea. The upper deck is converted into a terrace with barbecue and canvas shelter.

[J.-F. L.] the Marie-Antoine. I discovered an old sailing boat,

Back on Jean-François Lachance in the rowboat shop.

[J.-F. L.] a two-masted owned by the Price family.

Black and white photograph of a boat whose masts are lowered, placed on boards in front of a hangar, in winter. A church is in the background.

[J.-F. L.] This boat, which is called today, I think, the Lughnassia, was the Jamboree.

Black and white photograph of three sailboats and another boat, set on trestles, in front of a house. The Jamboree is the second on the left, next to the Stella Maris, whose name is on the right.

[J.-F. L.] According to my father, it was one of the most beautiful

Black and white close-up photograph of a white boat (the Jamboree) at anchor. Two boats are in the background.

[J.-F. L.] that Grandpa built and it is still sailing, in the Caribbean too,

Back on Jean-François Lachance in the rowboat shop.

[J.-F. L.] in the Cayman Islands.

Color photograph of a small boat with a blue hull and a beige cabin, sailing near a boulevard (Sainte-Anne). A couple and a child are in the cabin, sheltered.

[J.-F. L.] Some others still exist on the river.

Color photograph of a small boat with a black hull and white cabin, equipped with an outboard, which sails in front of a rocky bank and trees with green and orange leaves. A man pilots inside the cabin. A woman is sitting on the deck, at the front, smiling.

[J.-F. L.] There is one here in Saint-Laurent-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, a small boat called El Gato,

Back on Jean-François Lachance in the rowboat shop.

[J.-F. L.] which is a boat that Grandpa had built for Hydro-Quebec when they built the Hydro-Québec towers here on Île d’Orléans in the early 1960s.

Current photograph of a white boat, profile, marked “ALEA II”, moored to a wooden pontoon in front of a rocky breakwater.

[J.-F. L.] There is also a beautiful boat

Back on Jean-François Lachance in the rowboat shop.

[J.-F. L.] at the Sillery marina in Quebec City, called Aléa, which was built in 1961 for doctor Bouchard and this boat was bought by a passionate …

Current photograph of the outside of a cabin. In the center is the wheel, in front of the navigation instruments. Benches covered with blue and white striped cushions are on each side.

[J.-F. L.] an enthusiast I would say, more about boat restoration than navigation,

Current photograph of the interior of a cabin, whose surfaces are woodwork. In the center is the wheel, in front of the navigation instruments. In the foreground is a wooden table surrounded in part by a bench covered with gray fabrics.

[J.-F. L.] because he almost did not sail with his boat, but restored it for 30 years

Current photograph of a white boat with rear marking “ALEA II” moored to a wooden pontoon in front of a rocky breakwater.

[J.-F. L.] and made it a real gem.