The association was formed in 1997 following the educational work carried out since 1992 by an alternative school on the former Tramasset shipyards (1837). It was the encounter between this team, local people with a passion for heritage and this magical site that gave rise to the desire for an association. The idea was to revive the shipyard, but in a new context, where the boat would be not only an end in itself, but also a means of forging links between local people, transmitting local culture and integrating people in difficulty.Tramasset is also a great space for collective action, with numerous activities now divided into four sectors: traditional marine carpentry and timber construction, the Espace de Vie Sociale with events and collective workcamps, cultural activities, and lastly, tourism and the enhancement of the site's heritage.
After many years spent fighting for its preservation, we are now in a phase of opening. The idea is to recapture the flame of the Wild Trails School and build a true house of river cultures. Its members and salaried team are ready to take up the challenge as we approach our third decade of existence.
As soon as the young members of the Wild Trails School arrived, the first heritage renovation projects were launched. In particular, the briquette kiln used to bend wood in the company's heyday. Today, the work needs to be completed.
The site was part of a large port area running along 8 km of the Garonne River. Today, we're trying to make the link between these different elements of the same history, while continuing to produce and restore traditional boats such as the courau de Garonne, the yole and the filadière.
The river is always with us. It has generated a culture of riverside living that we try to pass on. Maintaining the old fishing huts (carrelets) is part of this mission.
The port would be nothing without its hinterland of vineyards and fields in beautiful valleys with their vernacular heritage. Entre-Deux-Mers is nicknamed the "Tuscany of Gironde".
As the heir to a carpentry business, we pass on this know-how and working-class culture through training courses for all publics. In these spaces, cooperation and solidarity are also part of the educational program. In 2021, a participatory wood workshop was set up to enable individuals to come and learn about woodworking and carry out personal projects.
As a popular education association, we are committed to the values of education by all and for all, particularly when it comes to learning marine carpentry. This is done as part of a volunteer group, through weekends spent careening, navigation training on the Garonne and, of course, boat outings in summer.
We are also developing activities to raise awareness of respect for the river environment and Tramasset's heritage, through participative workcamps and activities for the youngest members of society, which we organize for school and extracurricular groups on a daily basis.
For a number of years, the association was a social integration enterprise. Today, this activity is more diffuse and is embodied in the four fields of activity.
Adapted workcamps are organized in partnership with medical-social, socio-educational or cultural structures. A workcamp at Tramasset always offers a break from a confining daily routine and a chance to experience another world.
Finally, the civic service volunteer scheme offers local young people a first step towards a civic commitment or professional orientation.
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