Will “The Hermione” manage to return to sea in 2025?
This is “the course” displayed by Marc de Briançon, the president of the Hermione-La Fayette association at the helm of the famous three-masted ship currently repaired in Anglet, in the Basque Country, following severe damage detected in 2021 caused by a fungus which eats away the replica of the three-masted ship.
To hoist the sails in 2025, the Rochefort frigate will have to raise the sum of 4.5 million euros by then.
The total cost of the work is estimated at 10 million euros.
The State, local authorities, banks, partners and donors have already injected nearly 5.5 million euros.
But time is running out: since October 2023, “Hermione” has only raised 350,000 euros in new funds from patrons and individuals.
At this rate, the eponymous association will have completed its financing in… more than 4 years.
Problem: the immobilization of the frigate in Anglet alone represents an annual budget estimated at 500,000 euros.
“The longer the project continues in Anglet, the more expensive it is,” recognizes Émilie Beau, the general director of the Hermione-La Fayette association.
“As complex as Notre-Dame de Paris”
Among the other “challenges” now include “the lack of liquidity” and its consequences on the association’s cash flow.
The reason: the gap between funding promises and their actual payment, says Émilie Beau.
The restoration project, “just as complex as that of Notre-Dame de Paris” according to Marc de Briançon, thus suffers from this financial fog.
The Hermione-La Fayette association struggles to say it clearly but could find itself “in difficulty if we don’t react quickly”, concedes Émilie Beau.
“L'Hermione” calls on the State and its historical partners to find a relay or new financial support.
It also intends to accelerate fundraising from individuals – they can now exempt part of their donations from tax.
Without a quick helping hand, the replica of the Marquis de La Fayette's frigate could remain out of water much longer than expected, confirms Marc de Briançon.