Le Bel Espoir – so this is what became of the Prince Louis...

Many of you will remember The Prince Louis sailing ship, which was used at both our Aberdovey School in Wales and Moray School in Burghead during the 1950’s and 1960’s for training at sea. We are sure that many of you would love to know whatever became of her?...

Well, through one of our alumnus we have just found out that she is now named “Le Bel Espoir" and is used in a very similar way as she was for Outward Bound - as a training initiative for young people. 

The boat was built in 1944 in Svendborg, in Denmark, by the navy architects Ring Anderson, for the maritime Company A.C. Sorenson. She first beared the name of "Nette S" and was later renamed "Peder Most". She was designed and fitted for the transportation of cattle between Copenhagen and Hamburg, a duty she carried out for ten years.

In 1955, she was given to The Outward Bound Trust and was re-fitted as a school ship for training. Many of you will remember expeditions to sea on the Prince Louis and hopefully have fond memories of the schooner!

In May 1968, a French association named “Les Amis de Jeudi-Dimanche” (AJD) based in Brest acquired the boat and renamed her the "Bel Espoir II".

A.J.D is a general interest association. It was created in 1951, and its main objective is to organise training and rehabilitation for disadvantaged young people and also introductory courses to sailing open to all, very similar work to that of The Trust.

Now the Bel Espoir is used annually for a transatlantic cruise in which young people learn sea trades and how to live in a community with others. Generally, the boat leaves Brest in France for Martinique in December and after a few months in the West Indies, the cruise resumes in April to sail to New York and then crosses the ocean back to Brest for July. The cruise has fantastic results, and we at The Trust are delighted that the Prince Louis, now named the Bel Espoir, is being used in a very similar way as we did when she was with us.

To read more about Le Bel Espoir, on the AJD website - please click here.