A French trading ship that sank in the 17th century with treasure on board is being brought back to life in a workshop in Madagascar with every stroke of Rafah Ralahy’s small wood sander.
Ralahy, eyes sparkling behind his glasses, has learned in 30 years as a craftsman at Le Village, a model ship making company, that recreating history in miniature form cannot be rushed.
It will take time to get the shape of the hull just right on this model, to get it just as it was on the roughly 1,000-tonne original.
The ship in question was called the Soleil d’Orient – the Eastern Sun – and it was one of the best in the French East India Company. It sank in 1681 while carrying ambassadors and treasure sent by the King of Siam (now Thailand) to King Louis XIV of France.
Anyone wanting an exact wooden replica from Le Village, albeit a few feet long, can get it for just over US$2,500. That excludes the shipping costs.
