Freight launches and quechemarines
Basque freight launches were a product of the adaptation of
fishing launches for transport purposes.
For centuries, until they were supplanted by motor boats,
they retained the same essential features. The freight launch
had an internal space free of thwarts for stowing cargo. They
were also often of greater capacity, although they were manned
by a crew of about five.
In France, developments were introduced to the freight
launch, resulting in a type of boat known as the chassemarée
or quechemarín in Spanish (a two-masted lugger).
In the eighteenth century the quechemarín, which was initially
similar to the launch was gradually transformed into a
separate vessel, which could be used both for fishing and for
minor coastal traffic.
A local adaptation developed along the coast of Brittany and
Normandy was called bisquine; etymologically, the term
comes from the word biscayenne or Biscayan.
It is apparently similar to the cargo launch; however below
the waterline the sternpost is deeper, making the bow entrance
more vertical and thus improving sailing close to the wind. This
boat was later fitted with a mizzen and the tonnage was increased;
in this way it gradually evolved into an entirely separate vessel. © José Lopez
This cargo launch was built in the last period of sail power in
the Basque Country. The large sail area and the radical design were
a reaction to the threat of motor-driven ships.
Note the foresail, which is nearly as big as the mainsail. Both are
built “al sexto” and the mainsail, because of its size, is hauled in to
the foot of the mast to facilitate the manoeuvre. "Nuestra Señora de
la Concepción", one of three pleitxeruak (cargo ships) belonging to
Simón Berasaluze Arrieta. Copy of the oil painting painted in
Bayonne by G. Gréze, in 1878". Oil painting by Simón Berasaluze
Aginagalde. © José Lopez
Line drawing of a cargo launch. This nineteenth century cargo
launch, built by the Mutiozabal shipyard in Orio reflects some of
the common features of this type of vessel. The shallow draft and
water lines of the hull were similar to contemporary fishing launches,
and they also had fore and main sails. However the cargo
launches were larger, with a capacity of between twelve and sixty
tonnes. © José Lopez
The full shape of the hull of the quechemarín necessitated a
large sail area for sailing in gentle winds: mainsail and foresail with
its topsail, plus the jibs and the mizzen, which helped improve the
boat’s steerage with a bow wind, making the helmsman's task easier.
Sudden changes in weather in the Bay of Biscay make it essential
to be able to lower the sails quickly, so the boat is designed to
sail in a stiff breeze. If the wind gets up even more, the amount of
sail can be reduced to just the mainsail and the fore, in a rig that
is very typical of the chalupa. © José Lopez
Rib frame of a freight skiff, Zumaia, 1869. The inherent instability
of any boat with a shallow draft was compensated for in the
flat-bottomed skiffs. At the same time, these shapes maximised the
cargo capacity. The shallow draft of these vessels required the use
of a side keel to reduce drift. © José Lopez
Plan of spars on a cachemarín (quechemarín). The picture
clear-ly shows the complexity of the spars and shrouds needed to
hold up the mast and its topmasts. We can also see the rows of
reefs used to reduce the surface of the lower sail, and a small
mizzen topsail. © José Lopez
The Granvillaise is a replica of one of the last bisquines. She
was built in 1990 in Granville, in the bay of Saint-Malo by the
Association des Vieux Agréements. Sailing trials have confirmed
the extraordinary nautical qualities of this type of ship, which is
particularly manoeuvrable. © José Lopez
