Tallulah’s skipper Debbie Purser reports back on Brest Festival of the Sea 2024
Anarchic behaviour out of the water, and sometimes like a sea battle…..
You would expect a large summer festival of over 1000 small boats, tall ships, ocean going tugs and warships in a French Naval Port to be a very well ordered and controlled affair. I’m pleased to say Fetes Maritimes Brest 2024 was much more joyous, spontaneous and free than that.
It was certainly well organised. The festival cost over 3 million euros and attracted over 800, 000 visitors through the land gates. There was an incongruous fleet of black RIB safety boats with willing helpers who were there to both police the event and assist the engineless boats when they came back into port to moor up. The safety boats were a comedy act surrounded by far more competent crews who sculled, towed, rowed and levered their boats out of tight spots every day to go sailing without much mishap.
Tallulah’s First French Foray
Since buying Tallulah this was the first time I had been able to take her to France with charter crews. With her turquoise hull and elegant cutter rig, would she be noticed amongst a huge fleet of equally beautiful boats?
My apprehension as skipper was – would there even be a big fleet compared to my last visit to Brest and Douarnenez Festival in 2016 on Eve of St Mawes where there where over 3000 vessels entered the jamboree. This was a post covid event, 8 years in the waiting. I so badly wanted it to be awesome for guest mate / relief skipper Diggory, and wonderful guest crew Simon and Hendrik from Belgium – who turned out to be great shanty singers, David with farmers arms and drizzle cake, Diver Dave, and Joanna keeping us civilised.
The Channel Crossing – 35 leagues
We passage planned for 5-6 knots for the 95 miles across the Western Approaches to catch the morning tide down through the Chanel du Four but predictably Tallulah decided to gallop off at 7 knots for 12 hours. Sunset mid channel was surreal. The only ships passing were from another century. 1893 Marguerite passed us as we ate supper on deck. A heavier pilot cutter she had only just succumbed to motor sailing. Tallulah managed to drift on under sail until midnight when the wind finally ran out.
The night was starry and dolphins would make us jump on night watch with nearby plops and green Phosphorescence trails. As we approached Le Four the dawn was even more electric with bright orange skies, glassy seas and dark cloud banks. Hanneke Boon passed on Men a Vaur and took a great photo of us, but where were all the other vessels? Was Brest festival an elaborate hoax?
By the time we reached Cameret there were sailing vessels everywhere. Welcome to Brest Festival 2024.
Skippers favourite – Brest or DZ 2024?
As a long time charter skipper I have been to both Brest and Douarnenez festivals 4 times before. In my head was the idea that Douarnenez was going to be the real prize as it was more specifically traditional wooden boats, whereas Brest was more of a melting pot. Brest was billed as a celebration of the oceans and the seafarers that use that wild playground for leisure, science and resources, race glory, fishing and exploration.
To my surprise it was Brest festival that got under my skin more than Douarnenez Temp Fetes 2024.
The music, the constant stream of boats coming in and out of the harbour under steam power, oar, sails, sculling oar and engine were like a nautical ballet combined with dodgems. For the lovers of wooden boats we could scarcely tear our eyes away from the deck and our 360 degree panorama.
Ashore at Fetes Maritime de Brest
Ashore were some great reminders of how much the sea and its resources and routes to the rest of the world have shaped nation’s like France. Also the pride that Bretons clearly still feel for their maritime culture was also comforting to see during a turbulent and distracting time for the French nation. It seemed like the whole of Brittany had emptied into the festival site in search of their roots and a sense of community.
The Chantier de Guip Shipyard was the main hub for festival crews. There was an eco warrior ‘village’ of charities trying to save our oceans doing a good trade in merchandise. As activist Captain Paul Watson had just been arrested after years of trying to save whales and many more species, it seemed a good time to buy a flag to show support.
Female role models were featured in a section on modern ocean careers. Renewable energy was profiling its designs and ocean science was clearly a big thing for Brest. Everywhere were reminders of the hardships of fishing on the edge of the Atlantic through the ages, plus the authentic replicas of byegone fishing fleets being sailed energetically by the younger generation Bretons. Behind Tallulah’s transom was a small fleet of red tanned lug sails.
There was something incredibly vibrant and uplifting to see hoards of young people camping under red canvas shelters, eating and partying on ancient open boats. The old boys were there too, fortified with rum, sardines and bagettes, holding their own with the youngsters and always standing up to socialise like true fishermen.
Summer Sailing on the Rade
Every morning the ships horns blew and the landlubbers were let in the festival gates…..and all the boat crews ran away to go sailing in the Rade de Brest – a big inland sea with islands, little coves and estuaries.
Mornings there were light winds to drift about and take photos of our favourites or anchor and go swimming. Afternoons were stronger sea breezes where we crossed bowsprits with tall ships and had faster racing yachts buzz us.
Tallulah was a ‘first sighting’ so we had a constant stream of RIBS and French yachts coming up close to photograph us. It was a standing joke that every time we had a perfect camera angle on a French bisquine or the beautiful brig Morgenster – there would be an ugly black rib in the way. We chased our favourites – Biche, Cancalaise, Grandvilaise, Renard, Le Recouverance, three masted lugger Grayhound, Brixham Trawler Pilgrim, tall ships Morgenster and Artemis, and fanned our artistic love affair with Moira.
Drone displays versus Fireworks
Evenings were filled with supper on deck, with the Polynesian hula dancers in full flow on the quay above us. Later we wandered ashore in search of the best bands before returning to Tallulah for the best seat in the house for the big light displays. The drone display was far better than we expected. huge 3-d sperm whales and sharks pulsated across the night sky, powered by hundreds of lit drones….to music.
Then just as we all began to believe we could live without real fireworks, Bastille Day happened. Brest always does fireworks well. Nothing really compares to the bang and smell of cordite. The young crew of Jolie Brise sat on the boom of their iconic pilot cutter and made a great sillouette for the big explosions.
60ft Pellew takes out Tallulah’s Topmast
The day before the big finale, our happy little bubble was shattered by a pilot cutter coming too close to us under sail in the inner harbour…and clipping Tallulah’s rigging (Cap shroud) whilst she was moored alongside. Pelew had been putting on a show all festival but this time her overhanging boom brought down Tallulah’s spreader which snapped the topmast above. All the crews around looked in horror as Tallulah was turned into a more stunted version of her self. No one was hurt and my French boat building friend David helped us de rig the dangling bit of topmast.
It took me 48 hours to get over shaking with anger as it was another hurdle I would have to get through in peak season, to organise and find time to replace the 25ft spar and spreader, with 10 charter voyages still to run. It created a bit of a downer for us all on board as we sailed down to Douarnenez in light winds ‘Sans topsail’ at the back of the fleet, whilst Luke worked out how to make us a new topmast.
I guess it is all part of the drama and spectacle of these great events, where we all sail very close to each other – Ferries, tiny canoes, huge fishing trawlers, naval ships and square riggers – all being asked to sail in and out of port for the crowds. I just wish it hadn’t been us, especially as were had just finished sailing for the day with a new crew.
Fireships and Fairy lights
The evening night parade was beautiful, but I must admit after the topmast incident that afternoon, I twitched every time a small boat came within inches of Tallulah’s hull.
There was one vessel where the skipper had red flares in each hand and the tiller between his legs. I wish I had had enough presence of mind to chuck a bucket of water over him. stand by to repel fireships.
Sailing Community Leaps in to Help
The company on board Tallulah and kind help from other boats bouyed us up. Rob from Marguerite lent us a new port light and Luke sailed back to say he had found the only boatbuilder not on their August holiday to start making me a new topmast. At one point in the hot night I went to the shower block for a doom scroll on my phone and a cry.My lovely new musician friends Penny and Alan had sent me a Tallulah shanty about their Falmouth Classics voyage with us. They had composed and recorded the video in Douarnenez and were waiting to meet us again. David and the Thomas family from the French Alps would be there too, to make up for our attempted reunion that was abruptly interrupted by the topmast incident.
I was determined The Tallulah crew would carry on and damn well go onto the next festival, with our jagged topmast stump.
Next article – Photos of the Classic Sailing fleet in Douarnenez 2024
Tallulah will be going to Paimpol Shanty festival in 2025, hopefully with Show of Hands musician Phil Beer and with Diggory Rose returning again as mate or skipper.
