Ultimately, the brothers spent about 20 years restoring the ship. 2 weeks ago there was a first attempt to launch it, but there turned out to be a leak and the ship had to be taken out of the water again.
Today it worked. At 9 am the boat was lifted in Zeebrugge and lowered into the water. “It is an incredible feeling, after all these years. We will soon sail to the quay where it will be finished, the masts still have to be put up. The official dedication is on May 4, and Jacques Brel’s family would also be present.”
The sailing ship will have a permanent berth in Zeebrugge. “A number of activities are already planned, we are participating in the Harbor Festival in Blankenberge and in Ostend at Anchor in Ostend. And later we might sail back to the Marquess, who knows. As Brel would say: the impossible has been made possible.”
In pictures: from ship to wreck and back
