Transcription: "The river park: presentation"

This page includes the written transcript of this podcast, translated into English.

Welcome to L'Islet-sur-Mer, home of the sailors! My name is Isabelle and I’m an anthropologist. I’m also curator of the Musée maritime du Québec - Capitaine J.E. Bernier. I’m the one who designed L'Équipée (the crew) in river park, a space that hosts an open-air exhibition and impressive naval artifacts. L'Équipée is an immersive journey into the maritime culture of yesterday and today. It’s an experience that allows you to travel with the sailors who chose to live on the water. You’ll also be able to enjoy the journey of the ERNEST LAPOINTE's crew by visiting our magnificent icebreaker.

The British were for a long time the masters of navigation. As a result, they developed an empire that spread over the entire planet, including the shores where you are today. Despite this technological superiority, the people of Côte-du-Sud, known in English as the south shore, from Lévis to Kamouraska, acquired important skills in the navigation sector. In the village of L'Islet, many of today's families are descendants of this great local maritime tradition. A number of these sailors became brave captains, whom the village of L'Islet will never forget. One of them has particularly marked the life of the entire country: Captain Joseph-Elzéar Bernier, after whom our museum is named.

These vignettes highlight the vital importance that boats have had in the development of communities in Quebec. Without a maritime culture, it’s impossible to build a country.