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The wreck of Grand-Gaube’s boat builders
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The wreck of Grand-Gaube’s boat builders
We can’t really say that Gaëtan is a seaman but he surely looks like one. Although he knew his passion was for building “Mauritian-style” boats, he tried fishing in the early seventies but he never succeeded… His passion was boats. This is what he likes to make and… what he knows how to do.
He loves this job, which his father taught him when he was sixteen but he concedes that the business is no longer what it used to be…“Our profession is leaking”, he says with a sweet smile. He’s not angry; he’s not even sad… He just looks disappointed to see that he has not had one contract for a construction or even simple repairs for three years. He has even had to look for another job, which he doesn’t enjoy. “But I have to earn a living!”
The whole village seems to suffer from the same problem. “At the time, Grand-Gaube was famous for its boats. People from every single part of Mauritius knew that you could find the best boats in terms of quality, solidity and innovation in Grand-Gaube… Now people don’t even need boats.”
The chain is broken</B>
The government has implemented a number of measures over the past years to ensure protection of the environment.
“We are the first ones to be happy that the environment is being protected. However, if boats can’t go wherever they want or if sand can’t be removed from the sea anymore, the chain is broken. Fishermen don’t go to sea and don’t need a boat anymore. Hence, our job is sinking and we don’t get anything to compensate these losses. A whole section of the population is being left aside.”
Regular customers of these boat builders were fishermen but also boat-man, who used to take tourists on sea trips. With the latest restrictions, people are no longer interested in the business. At the time, Gérard could build up to 5 boats a year with the help of a few workers. It takes about five months to manufacture a boat 27 feet long and 7 feet wide.
Of course, they could say fibre-glass boats or imported boats are too fierce competitors, which they can’t fight. But they know this is not the main problem. “They don’t manufacture the same type of boats. We do Mauritain-style boats and we’re not on the same market.” However, they are adamant on one issue: their profession is dead and the situation will not get any better…
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