Heritage & museum: the Robert Léglise shipyard in Oléron
The Chantier naval Robert Léglise, a symbol of the maritime heritage of theIle d’Oléron, is a place where enthusiasts restore traditional wooden boats. A place steeped in history that can be visited all year round.
A century-old construction site
Thanks to its insularity, the island of Oléron boasts an extraordinarily rich maritime heritage. The Robert Léglise shipyard, in the small port of Château-d’Oléron, is one of them. It is the last remaining local example of wooden shipbuilding on the island of Oleron. For almost 30 years, the “Chantier naval Robert Léglise” association has been reviving Oleron’s oldest shipyard, founded in 1890. Many historic boats, damaged and forgotten, are restored and given a new lease of life.
A museum-workshop to explore
Relaunched by volunteers in 1995, the Robert Léglise boatyard is open to the public free of charge on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays in summer, and on Wednesdays the rest of the year. Whether you’re a boat enthusiast or simply curious, a visit to the workshop is a real discovery.
Guided tours introduce you to the work of marine carpenters, specialists in the restoration of traditional wooden boats. An exhibition room features a collection of tools, objects, photographs, plans and documents relating to local maritime history. The association’s volunteers, guardians of ancestral know-how, will passionately explain the work involved in restoring old riggings and workboats.
Rigs, lasses, sardinières, youyous and other longboats, some of them hundreds of years old, are passionately restored before your very eyes. Over three decades, the yard has refloated around a hundred regional boats. Among these jewels are the “Notre-Dame de la Clarté”, a listed mussel-farming sloop, the “La Fanette”, a former oyster-farming lasse, and the “Carpe Diem”, a typical Charentais sailing boat. Restoring a boat using traditional shipbuilding techniques requires thousands of hours of work.
Les Voiles de la citadelle: an unmissable maritime event
For over 15 years, the Robert Léglise shipyard has organized“Les Voiles de la citadelle“, a gathering of vintage boats in the port of Château d’Oléron. This nautical parade takes place every year in July. The shipyard remains open in the afternoon. Numerous activities are on offer: seamanship demonstrations, marine knots, concerts and entertainment, photo exhibition, craftsmen, underwater archaeology, refreshment bar…
Practical info
- Chantier naval Robert Léglise: Avenue du Port, 17480 Le Château-d’Oléron (15 minutes from our 4-star campsite on the Ile d’Oléron).
- Open May to September: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 3pm to 6pm. The rest of the year, Wednesday mornings. Free admission.
- Information: 0546856523 / 0672670282
photo@Aneta Foubíková/Pixabay
