Product Description

The goélette Saint-André was built in La Malbaie, in the county of Charlevoix, Québec in 1956 by one of the last manufacturers of goélettes of the St. Lawrence river, the master carpenter Philippe Lavoie. Its owner, the captain Fernand Gagnon, made coastal traffic on the St. Lawrence river until 1976 mainly between Montreal and Sept îles. At this time, the wood goélettes (over 3000 were built) were replaced by metal ships much larger, more profitable and adapted to winter navigation. One of the last witnesses of the long maritime tradition of the province of Québec, the Saint-Andrew, was classified “cultural asset” in 1978. Lately restored, it is preserved at the Maritime Museum of Charlevoix, very close to the shores which saw it being born.