| Jolie
Brise
The column to the right
of the back wall is a tribute to this delightful gaff rigged Le
Havre Pilot Cutter. The 'Jolie Brise' owes its existence to nothing
less than a Decree enunciated in 1806 by Napoleon himself - the
'Imperial Decree for the Regulation of the French Port Pilotage
Service'. By the way, anyone interested in the origin of pensions
might note that Article Nine of Napoleon's Pilotage Decree reads:
"A pilot who, as a result
of great age or infirmity, becomes unable to fulfil his duty will
be obliged to apply to the administrator, who will appoint as
his deputy the most experienced assistant pilot in the service
to undertake pilotage work in his stead and, at the same time,
render him one third of his salary". |
