One exhibition, one day each month, thirty minutes, one gesture from the Loire!
This year, the museum's activities will give a voice to the "gestures of the Loire" and put people back at the heart of the river. Month after month, we'll be shining the spotlight on a singular verb, an action, its actor and its tools... This month, we'll be sailing downstream in front of this enigmatic fer d'outiau.
The bargemen had a good descent... we used to talk about swallowing! No, no, it's not what you think, it's the descent of the Loire, navigation downstream, using the driving force of the river, the current! Yes, nothing could be simpler on the surface - but only on the surface - than using the perpetual flow to move a boat. The mariner will have realised very early on that the current is a precious ally that carries ships, sometimes of very heavy tonnage, effortlessly and smoothly. But this apparent simplicity comes up against a total lack of manoeuvrability. To sum up the problem, the river leads the floating object straight on, including towards the obstacle! There's no point in manoeuvring a rudder, it would be inoperative, the boat is irrevocably dragged along. So is using the current a bad idea? Don't panic, here again the river people have adapted and found solutions: gournas, outiaux, roctons, rods... to the rescue! Are you wondering what language we speak? Le ligérien of course! Want to know what it is and how it works? Make a date, we're waiting for you, we're hiring you, are you ready for the manoeuvre?
The Musée de la Loire invites you to take a short cultural and historical lunch break, before or after your sandwich, your lunch bowl, to digest or whet your appetite... join us as we plunge into the heart of the indefectible links that have united and still unite Man and the river!
