Northern France is ringed with coastal communities built on rich maritime heritage.  I love Normandy's northwest peninsula farmlands, port cities like Bar Fleur, Cherbourg and St. Vaast and the wild coast with their layered history, stunning light and open spaces. Hon Fleur, where the Impressionists gained such great inspiration (and painters still paint the harbor daily) is a special favorite.  Thankfully, I've got family friends in the region who are excellent "local" tour guides, game to explore backroads and patient translators.  Together, we've driven many country roads, walked beaches, explored marinas, hedged farm roads, dark forests and historic castles. Yesterday, while in St. Vaast, I was struck again by how many people stop and take photos of wooden boats.  With such a close proximity and long history of boating (both fishing and pleasure craft) in this region, understandably, there are a majority of steel and fiberglass boats in the marinas and on the tidal flat moorings. 

But as we walked the docks, there was the "last 3-masted wooden ship" Marite and several smaller boats that look like traditional fishing boats, but empty of gear as if ready for tourists.