in Brittany, two brothers relaunch the transport of goods by sail

Jacques and Olivier Barreau are twins who love the sea, and for three years with their company, Grain de Sail, they have operated a cargo sailboat which transports goods between France and America. Gigantic, full of technology, their ship is as fast as a motorboat. “The farmhouses are around fifty meters long”, specifies Jacques Barreau, the general director of Grain de Sail, who welcomed the 13 Hours teams on board. In total, 1,500 meters of sail propels 350 tonnes of cargo.

Customers demand greener exports

Clean transport, which allows companies to reduce their carbon impact. “Companies really want to decarbonize, so they are willing to pay a little more for pallets”, explains Olivier Barreau. The Barreau brothers, chocolatiers by profession, bought their first boat to export their products to the United States. With their second sailboat, they open their slipway to other customers. The ship is expected to make six rotations per year.

If transport by sailboat is on the rise, cruises in port appeal to travelers who have their sea legs. The concept is simple: owners rent their boat at the dock, like a hotel room.