Following a fire in late November which destroyed its warehouse in Douarnenez, in Brittany, TOWT – the European trading under sail organisation has raised over €14,000 to replace its stock and carry on with its operations.
The warehouse was one of the so-called Norwegian houses at the southern corner of the Place de L’Enfer in Douarnenez, opposite the quay where goods were laden and unladen from carbon-footprint negative ships like the Grayhound. It contained wines, ales, oils, rum/gin/cognac, tea, all delivered from various parts of the world by sea and by sail.
The warehouse was also where TOWT founders Guillaume Le Grand, his partner Diana and their daughter Olympe were also living. Nobody was hurt in the fire.
“Within just a few hours, our home, our intimacy, our simple souvenirs either joined the spirit of the Ancestors in the sky or are covered with soot and rubble,” Guillaume commented. “But within a few hours, Olympe received more clothes and toys than we could have imagined. The ladies of Douarnenez embraced us and I have not lacked for razors or cigarettes!”
The fire threatened the 18 month old operation which is dedicated to building the infrastructure of new routes for trading under sail, bringing like-minded merchants and sailors together.
A crowdfunding campaign (Operation Phoenix) was launched, which can be viewed here:
https://ekosea.com/en/projet/211-operation-phenix-transport-a-la-voile
TOWT’s aims are best expressed as
– To save fossil fuels
– To preserve the climate
– To make the cargo transport sector more transparent
– To revitalize working sailboats
TOWT founders Guillaume Le Grand and Diana Mesa
The warehouse in Douarnenez