- For one of her last outings of the 2007 sailing season, the Belem took aboard a rather special group of « trainees » on a two day stint. They brought along some quite unusual work gear: crayons, pencils, brushes, pots, tubes, sketch pads... The six artists, five men and one woman, all belong to that talented and highly respected body known as “Les Peintres Officiels de la Marine” – the only painters allowed to ply their trade on board the ships of the French Navy. Used to working on contemporary battleships, all except one had never travelled on board France's only remaining 19th century three masted barque. They spent two days in a frenzy of sketching, painting and water colouring, overwhelmed by the beauty and majesty of the Belem, delighted by the willingness of the crew to explain and demonstrate the intricacies of handling her 21 sails with all the rigging... The resulting artistic creations are now eagerly awaited!
- The Belem is now in dry dock at Saint Nazaire for her yearly overhaul. A lot of painting is going on – nothing to do with the above mentioned artists, but still demanding a lot of care and effort: nine crew members have stayed with the ship and are busy repainting the masts...
- The Belem Literary Prize “Le Prix Belem des Ecrivains de Marine” was awarded on October 20th at a special ceremony at the National Maritime Museum in Paris : this year's winner is «Il y a un siècle...marins et matelots » written by Etienne Devailly. The author is a supply officer – his book is written around a series of old postcards depicting everyday life in the French Navy at the outset of the 20th Century. The Special Prize was awarded to Philippe Lévêque's “Remorqueurs de Port”, on the men who live and work aboard the tugboats operating out of four of France's main harbours.
- The Fondation Belem has moved to the following address: 50 Ave Pierre Mendès France 75201 Paris cedex 13. Telephone numbers and e-mail address are unchanged.
- The Foundation will be present at the Paris Nautical Exhibition from 1st to 9th of December. If you are passing through, do come over, meet the team and discover the great journeys in store for you in the 2008 sailing programme!
Samedi 20 octobre dernier, les Ecrivains de Marine se sont réunis au Musée national de la Marine, sous la présidence de Didier Decoin, pour décerner le Prix Belem des Ecrivains de Marine 2007.
Les 3 et 4 octobre derniers, 6 Peintres Officiels de la Marine ont embarqué à bord du Belem pour y exercer leur art. Récit et témoignages d'une expérience inédite pour les peintres comme pour le navire.
Le 10 octobre dernier s'est tenu le conseil d'administration de la Fondation. Un ordre du jour très nourri avec notamment au programme la préparation de l'année 2008.
