Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

La Cité de la voile Éric-Tabarly is a multimedia exhibition centre located in Lorient, designed by architect Jacques Ferrier. Unique in Europe, this site is entirely dedicated to offshore racing, combining exhibitions on navigation techniques, the history of sailboats (including the Pen Duick of Eric Tabarly), and interactive experiences such as simulators or sea trips. It is part of the European Offshore Race Pole, on the historic site of the former submarine base of Lorient, a symbolic place where several Tabarly boats were built.

The project, initiated after Eric Tabarly's death in 1998 by his family and relatives, was completed in April 2008 after ten years of preparation. Funded by local authorities, the State and the European Union, with the technical support of the City of Science and Industry, the centre welcomed 100,000 visitors in its first year. However, in the early 2010s, its attendance dropped (55,000 visitors in 2014), pushing management to conduct an investigation in 2012 to understand this decline.

To remedy this, the City closed six months between November 2014 and April 2015 for a renovation of €2.2 million. At its reopening, the museum tour was redesigned around eight interactive poles, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the world of skippers. This transformation has borne fruit: attendance has increased to 85,000 visitors in one year after 2015. The site also houses the Pen Duick de Tabarly during their stopovers in Lorient.

The building, with modern marine lines, houses permanent exhibitions (films, manipulations, boat reconstructions, pool of radio-controlled sailboats) and temporary exhibitions. He celebrates both the legacy of Eric Tabarly, a pioneer of offshore racing, and the technological innovation of contemporary sailing boats, while offering an immersive experience thanks to tools such as a 10-seat simulator reproducing the activity of a racing boat.

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