Replica 17th-century ship takes to the Brussels canal

A Brussels-built replica of a 17th-century French warship has made its maiden voyage along the city's canal - after 15 months of construction work by young people in Anderlecht.

Crowds gathered on Saturday to watch La Licorne be lowered into the water for the first time.

"We put in 4,800 hours of work to get this all done," said Nicolas Joschko, president of the Atelier Marin association. About 160 adults and 300 young people worked on its construction.

The boat made a short journey up the canal to the Brussels Royal Yacht Club - but it is far from ready for its inaugural sailing to Versailles, which is planned for next year.

Some 2,000 hours of rigging work are now needed - building the mast and attaching the ropes and sails.

The project has cost €70,000 - of which more than a third came from the Bruocsella Prize, which funds projects contributing to urban renewal in Brussels. Read more about the initiative here.