Our colleagues from Le Figaro followed the work carried out on the Askoy II, the legendary yacht of Jacques Brel. The opportunity to come back to the history of this giant of the seas.
On April 8, Jacques Brel’s yacht will be relaunched. The opportunity for our colleagues from Figaro to devote an investigation to this giant of the seas. Kept in Belgium in Zeebrugge, the mythical singer’s yacht measures 40 tons of steel and is 18 meters long. Its nickname: the Askoy II. “The mythical boat on which Jacques Brel and his last companion Maddly Bammy traveled from Antwerp to the Marquesas”can we read in the article of our colleagues. This boat was a real source of inspiration for the singer, who will dedicate a song to him, entitled Cathedral. In the 1960s, the huge ship was called the most beautiful ship in the world.
So seeing the Askoy II again on the water is an event, especially for the master sailmakers who built the ship. “The rebirth of Askoy II is also a story of friendship between four fellows of different generations and cultures but united by the same passion around Brel”, explained Jean-Bernard Bonzom, a former Dassault workshop technician. The arrival of the Askoy II is therefore eagerly awaited, as it has a rich history. Its first owner was the architect Hugo Van Kuyck to whom Jacques Brel will buy the boat for 550,000 new francs. On July 24, 1974, the singer made his first start.
The Askoy II will be used for drug trafficking
Unfortunately, he will learn during his trip that his best friend has died. He himself is ill and will be operated on for lung cancer. But Jacques Brel intends to make the most of his boat. He therefore left for the West Indies. Arriving in the Marquesas, he will sell the Askoy. Two years later, the singer was again affected by cancer and died at the age of 49 on October 9, 1978. The boat will be used to smuggle drugs or to transport fish.
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© ALAIN ROLLAND
3/12 –
The Askoy
Kept in Belgium in Zeebrugge, the mythical singer’s yacht measures 40 tons of steel and is 18 meters long. Its nickname: the Askoy II.
© ALAIN ROLLAND
4/12 –
The Askoy
“The mythical boat on which Jacques Brel and his last companion Maddly Bammy traveled from Antwerp to the Marquesas”, we can read in the article of our colleagues.
© ALAIN ROLLAND
5/12 –
The Askoy
This boat was a real source of inspiration for the singer, who dedicated a song to it, entitled La Cathédrale. In the 1960s, the huge ship was called the most beautiful ship in the world.
© ALAIN ROLLAND
6/12 –
The Askoy
So seeing the Askoy II again on the water is an event, especially for the master sailmakers who built the ship.
© ANGELI-RINDOFF
7/12 –
Jacques Brel
“The rebirth of the Askoy II is also a story of friendship between four fellows of different generations and cultures but united by the same passion around Brel”, explained Jean-Bernard Bonzom, former technician of the Dassault workshops. .
© ANGELI-RINDOFF
8/12 –
Jacques Brel
The arrival of the Askoy II is therefore eagerly awaited, as it has a rich history. Its first owner was the architect Hugo Van Kuyck, from whom Jacques Brel bought the boat for 550,000 new francs. On July 24, 1974, the singer made his first start.
© ANGELI-RINDOFF
9/12 –
Jacques Brel
Unfortunately, he will learn during his trip that his best friend has died. He himself is ill and will be operated on for lung cancer. But Jacques Brel intends to make the most of his boat. He therefore left for the West Indies.
© AGENCY
10/12 –
Jacques Brel
Arriving in the Marquesas, he will sell the Askoy.
© MPP
11/12 –
Jacques Brel
Two years later, the singer was again affected by cancer and died at the age of 49 on October 9, 1978.
© MPP
12/12 –
Jacques Brel
The boat will be used to smuggle drugs or to transport fish.