Cap Vert is rich of more than 80 years of history and the witness of the last time of river transport on the Loire. In 1928, the year of its building, this motorised barge was at the leading edge of technology.

You can step on board this historic site and get a perfect idea of a bargee’s life. Try to find the engine room as soon as you will the rumbling of the engine. At the same time, you will admire the superb view from the deck.

In the cabin, you will experience the intimacy of the bargee’s way of life. You’ll discover how the bargee and his family lived in such a small space.

In the front hold, take a few moments to go and sit down comfortably to enjoy a movie about the Loire. Then you just have to imagine that you are a real bargee travelling along the banks of the Loire.

Some history

Cap Vert is a motorized barge built in 1928 by Duteil and Co shipyards in Nantes and initially called “Ville d’Ingrandes”. In 1939 it was renamed “Cap Vert” referring to its main cargo: peanuts shipped from Cap Vert, an island off the coast of Senegal.

In the fifties, river transport could not compete with road transport and from 1963 onwards Cap Vert was only used to take away sand. In the seventies, it was taken off the navigable boat register and then used as a pontoon to welcome more important boats carrying sand.

In 1994, it was listed as a historic monument and in 2001 the village of Montjean bought it. The goal of this purchase was to create a floating museum. But for regulatory reasons, it was impossible. That is why the boat was brought to the gardens of Cap Loire.