It was real a privilege to attend the 2025 edition of La Semaine du Golfe de Morbihan. I've always been tempted by previous versions but it wasn't practically possible given work commitments. However, now I've retired...!
Daisy IV was in the inelegantly named 'flotilla E' alongside five other Deben Luggers, several Drascombes, Swallow Yachts, and a plethora of other mostly cabined trailer sailers. Other flotillas feature different sizes/types of boat so that there is a place for everyone, although there's a strong emphasis on the more traditionally rigged vesssels. I put together this brief video record of the whole event:
And then I put together this unabridged video with some longer clips, both of shore-based and sailing activities - just for the record…
The week is a wonderful festival of non-motorised boating in all of its guises and the organisers go out of their way to attract as many different boats and from as far away as possible.
The basic premise is for the beginning and the end of the week to feature two 'grand parades' with all boats involved, and then for the different flotillas to run cruises, each night ending up in a different port, whereupon there is a big onshore celebration featuring traditional Breton culture, with lots of food and drink! It's all incredibly well organised and with many unexpected and welcome touches. Whilst we ended up in different ports each night, transport was laid on for us to return to our 'home port' each evening and then back again the next morning. The logistics of the whole thing are incredible, particularly since participation is without cost - quite an amazing feat in this day and age: so, free launching, recovery, parking of trailers, water taxis to and from boats, safety vessels, navigational guidance, etc. And, as if this were not enough, we each received a bag of goodies at the start, including pots of preserves, biscuits, literature, flags, etc, and, at the end, we received a lovely brass medal to mark our participation - a nice touch!
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| Each participating boat received one of these at the end of the festival - a nice touch! |
It’s clear that the Bretons value their sailing heritage, the whole week is well documented through the media, the welcome in each port is exceptional (for example, complementary oysters, cider) and the grand parades are keenly watched from every bankside vantage point by crowds of appreciative spectators.
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| lots of rafting up was required, which the six Deben Luggers managed with aplomb |
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| Flotilla E in action |
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| Swallow Yacht enthusiasts will recognise this as the latest BC21 - a fine looking boat! |
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| Keen eyed readers of these pages will recognise this beauty! She is, of course, Daisy II but with her new name which I couldn't begin to pronounce but which is written 'Dragún Uisce'. Great to see her being enjoyed again! In ordinary times she is now based in Dublin |
Which all looks delightfully calm and uneventful. For the record, none of the above accounts for the strength of the tides which run in and out of this location, and the conditions which sometimes arise, all of which need very careful consideration. The tides themselves are something to behold - and definitely not a time to be holding on to a camera! Assuming I return in future, I'll definitely be deploying the GoPro!
The tidal flows can best be described as a multi-directional set of intersecting conveyor belts whereby, once you get caught in the flow, you are swept along in that particular direction - which may, or may not be where you want to go. And, whilst the cruises were set up to exploit the main tidal flow, there were constantly various back eddies which still had a habit of getting in the way, and often swirled around some protruding object such as an unwelcome rock!! For the record, we were provided with very carefully presented navigational instructions prior to each cruise, and RIBs were on hand to help at any key swirly points should the need have arisen.
Despite my inability to capture the conditions, I'm grateful for these pictures from one of the Morbihan sites:
A crew member on another boat recorded the video below which gives some idea of conditions off Port Navalo on the final grand fleet day.
J
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| Tracks from 26 May, the opening 'grand parade' |
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Tracks from the remainder of the week. Total trip length, 54.1nm. The two tracks above were from Monday 26 May and featured the first grand parade trip to Port Navalo and back (forgot to take the Garmin that day, so recorded on Savvy Navvy!)
We had a day off on Tuesday since the weather was forecast to gust F7. Wednesday 28 May was the yellow track from Port Blanc to Locmariaquer. Thursday 29 May, red track from Locmariaquer to Port Navalo. Friday 30 May green track from Port Navalo to Saint Armel. Saturday 31 May, White track from Saint Armel to Port Navalo, and then the final grand parade back to Port Blanc. |
This isn't where the account ends for me. I loved every minute of this adventure, including the long drive in the van towing the boat, the ferry, driving and towing in France, the camping and enjoying the different culture. The following pictures hopefully give some idea of all of this!
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| the ferry awaits! |
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| After driving through the night, arrival at Larmor Baden |
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| Rigged and ready to launch |
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| campsite |
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| Vannes |
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| Auray |
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recovery at Port Blanc
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| And finally, no trip without a small drama, in this case a snapped bumpkin - which happened just before the final grand parade! |
I shall do my utmost to be there again in 2027!
J
