The crossing to Newfoundland, 2,250 nautical miles long (4,167 km), took at least three weeks. The voyage was perilous on ships carrying 30 to 50 crew and loaded with the small boats that would be used to fish off the coast of Newfoundland. Departure was in the spring. As the Portrieux roadstead was the deepest, the cod boats from all over the Bay of Saint Brieuc would gather there before the big departure.

After a long, hard fishing season in Newfoundland and on the Grand Banks, the boats returned home towards the end of August or the beginning of September. Some of the ships did not return to Brittany and went directly to sell their cargo of cod in Marseille or other Mediterranean ports. They returned to their home port just before spring, loaded down with various goods (oil, soap, etc.), salt bought in Vendée for future campaigns and alcohol for the crew’s daily rations.

At the beginning of the 19th century, deep-sea fishing shipowners discovered a new Eldorado: Iceland. The crossing to Iceland was shorter than the one to Newfoundland, the campaign was longer, the fishing more profitable, but also more dangerous because storms were frequent and the coasts inhospitable. The ships used for Newfoundland were neither fast enough nor manoeuvrable enough for Icelandic waters, so the slimmer, faster, more manoeuvrable topsail schooner, the flagship of Paimpol’s shipyards from 1850 onwards, became the emblematic Icelandic ship described by Pierre Loti in “Fishermen of Iceland”. The sailors did not disembark and fished from the ship, the cod being prepared and salted on board.

After a long, hard fishing season in Newfoundland and on the Grand Banks, the boats returned home towards the end of August or the beginning of September. Some of the ships did not return to Brittany and went directly to sell their cargo of cod in Marseille or other Mediterranean ports. They returned to their home port just before spring, loaded down with various goods (oil, soap, etc.), salt bought in Vendée for future campaigns and alcohol for the crew’s daily rations.

At the beginning of the 19th century, deep-sea fishing shipowners discovered a new Eldorado: Iceland. The crossing to Iceland was shorter than the one to Newfoundland, the campaign was longer, the fishing more profitable, but also more dangerous because storms were frequent and the coasts inhospitable. The ships used for Newfoundland were neither fast enough nor manoeuvrable enough for Icelandic waters, so the slimmer, faster, more manoeuvrable topsail schooner, the flagship of Paimpol’s shipyards from 1850 onwards, became the emblematic Icelandic ship described by Pierre Loti in “Fishermen of Iceland”. The sailors did not disembark and fished from the ship, the cod being prepared and salted on board.

Icelandic fishing began at the end of February and generally ended in September. As with the Newfoundland fishery, some boats returned to port, while others continued to market their catch along the Mediterranean coast.

Good years, bad campaigns, shipwrecks, Portrieux lived to this rhythm until the end of cod fishing. The whole country was organised around this fishing economy: shipowners, captains, sailors, mousses, victuallers, carpenters and so on. At its peak in 1820, ten ships left Portrieux for Newfoundland with 550 sailors on board. In 1872, four ships left for Newfoundland with 93 men and eleven for Iceland with 240 men.

The last cod fishing campaign took place in 1920 at Portrieux.

Icelandic fishing began at the end of February and generally ended in September. As with the Newfoundland fishery, some boats returned to port, while others continued to market their catch along the Mediterranean coast.

Good years, bad campaigns, shipwrecks, Portrieux lived to this rhythm until the end of cod fishing. The whole country was organised around this fishing economy: shipowners, captains, sailors, mousses, victuallers, carpenters and so on. At its peak in 1820, ten ships left Portrieux for Newfoundland with 550 sailors on board. In 1872, four ships left for Newfoundland with 93 men and eleven for Iceland with 240 men.

The last cod fishing campaign took place in 1920 at Portrieux.