Marie Jeanne - Breton Tuna Boat model

The Marie-Jeanne, coming from the French Harbour of Concarneau, was a part of the tuna fishing fleet and she sailed from 1900 until 1950.  Tuna fishing is a very strenuous occupation that requires really strong seaworthy boats that are really fast.  Many types were used originally, some were too clumsy and the Chaluppes of about 20 ton were not sufficiently strong, so the following boat type developed. 

It is a Dundee of about 50 or 60 tons rigged with many sails and carrying a 12 men crew.  The white tunny is caught with lines. The tuna fishing boats are equipped with tangons (longpoles) which are more than 20m long.  They are placed on each side of the main mast, and are lowered down on each side when the boat is fishing.  Normally, every tangon has 7 lines which are connected to each other by ropes.  This enables the fishermen to drag the tuna aboard without touching the position of the tangons.  Two other lines are fixed to the stern and often a third - a very long one - is fixed to the top of the main mast.  The lines end in a so-called "avancon" made of brass wire, where the fishing hook is fixed.  The lure is artificial as the white tuna is very greedy and consisted of white hair with a bit of corn straw.