La Grace is a replica of a brig from the 18th century. The original ship of Augustine Herman (Augustin Heřman in Czech) bore this name (which roughly translates as “Graceful”) during merchant and exploratory travels around Europe, United States, Caribbean and across the Atlantic Ocean. La Grace was also renowned for her corsair activities. Especially well-known is her victory over two Spanish barques carrying sugar, tobacco and wine near the coast of Guatemala. This modern replica is utilised solely to teach the art of old-time seamanship. Her crew is mainly from the Czech Republic. Construction The construction of the vessel had started at the end of 2008 in a commercial shipyard at Suez, Egypt, under supervision of vessel's captain Josef Dvorský and ship constructor Daniel Rosecký (who are now co-owners). The main reason why Suez was selected for a construction site was utilization of traditional boat building procedures, which are still prevalent there. A wooden model had to be made first for the Egyptian builders, as was usual in the 18th century. The boat was then constructed according to this maquette. Due to the importance of the Suez Canal in global trade, high quality Scandinavian wood is readily available in Egypt. This wood was the most usual and favourite shipbuilding material in the Age of Sail. However, the keel and the frames are made of extremely hard and sturdy camphor wood and mulberry wood. Planking and decks timbers are made of Finnish pine tree wood. But nowadays, original Chapman’s blueprints are not sufficient to build a boat. Because of that, a 3D model of the boat was also made based on these blueprints. The virtual representation was then utilised to make even more detailed plans. A large amount of calculations were necessary as well (e.g. a stability assessment). Masts, yards, blocks, as well as steering wheel and cannons were made in joiner's shop of Vilém Pavlica at Valašské Meziříčí, Czech Republic. Dozens of volunteers from all over the Czech Republic worked since June 2009 and helped to complete the equipment. In December 2009, all the material was shipped to The following year was mainly in the spirit of 21st century technology. Boat’s engine, electric generator, water and power distribution were installed. Most of the work was again conducted by a joint effort of both experts and volunteers. La Grace was launched on 5 December 2010, nearly two years after the