The Phare du Petit Minou is a lighthouse in the roadstead of Brest

Roadstead of Brest

The roadstead of Brest is a roadstead or bay located in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. The surface area is about 180 km² . The port of Brest is located on its northern edge and one of the two French naval bases...

, standing in front of the Fort du Petit Minou

Fort du Petit Minou

Built between 1694 and 1697, the Fort du Petit Minou was a fort built in the commune of Plouzané in France to defend the goulet de Brest. It consists of 6m high masonry bastions, surrounded by a 3m deep and 9.5m wide moat....

, in the commune of Plouzané

Plouzané

Plouzané is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France.-History:The shores south of Plouzané are in a strategic location for the defense of the Goulet de Brest...

. By aligning it with the phare du Portzic

Phare du Portzic

The phare du Portzic is situated on the north-eastern extremity of the Goulet de Brest and is the nearest lighthouse to the town of Brest. It was inscribed as a monument historique before 1987...

, it shows the safe route to follow for ships to enter the roadstead. It also has a red signal that indicates a dangerous sector around the plateau of les Fillettes (literally the girls), one of the submerged rocks in the goulet of Brest — sailors remember this by using the mnemonic

Mnemonic

A mnemonic , or mnemonic device, is any learning technique that aids memory. To improve long term memory, mnemonic systems are used to make memorization easier. Commonly encountered mnemonics are often verbal, such as a very short poem or a special word used to help a person remember something,...

"the Minou blushes when he covers les Fillettes".