The French do it avec Grand Elan! Anyone who has witnessed a French traditional boat festival will know they 'go to town' to energise their waterfronts not only for the crews but for the whole community. 

In St Malo they did it all against a backdrop of the city's great granite walls and ramparts. Tall masts, bowsprits and tanned sails cutting a festive profile and imposing their spirit against the grey scudding skies. Rain dominated the first acts but the folk bands, the dancers, the sea chanty groups, the bagpipe players, and costumed drummers jointly smothered the gloom spreading a blanket of good cheer. Along the old quay an instant white tented village of stands had been erected. Town workers and an army of gaffer benevolés (volunteers) had toiled to get things ready for us.  Even more 'benevolés' cooked sausage and crêpes under awnings, sold wine beer and cider and whatever else popped your fancy. Sizzling grills sent saucisson smoke spiralling in the wind choking the the many worthies of 'associations patrimoine maritime' sitting with their display boards and selling their wares.

The infamous St Malo Harbour welcomed yet more boats, and by Sunday there were over sixty boats as crowds came back and razzmatazz built. Queues form for a sail around the bay in the Cancalaise or any of a number traditonal boats strung along the quay. The British crews looking on lolling in their cockpits or batting questions from the public 'Did you come in that old boat all the way from England?" even the Police Maritime couldn't resist a well spun yarn of great cross Channel feats and adventures from a salty British crew. 

The French OGA started life 1975 after a chance meeting with some Solent and east coast boats in Le Havre and then Channel islands a few years later. So enamored were the French that Les Old Gaffers -Association des Vieux Gréements de France set with, as its HQ, the garrison room inside St Malo's Grande Portes walls. But membership has waxed and waned over the years, they have survived and it was wholly apt that the Old Gafféres (as pronounced locally) had its big 'revival event' in its founding port. 

Twenty seven UK boats were slated to arrive. Not all made it! The weather set a challenge. In the preceding week gales, rain and southwesterly winds held back the Solent contingent. Skippers and crews jumped ship, transferring to the comfort and convenience of the Portsmouth to St Malo Ferry. 

But others braved it, At best the Channel would be 'lumpy' if you could dodge the depression! The overfalls around Cap le Haque and Alderney would be dramatic however and the currents dictate the timings in the Channel Islands. For the East Coasters the challenge was even greater, But Rely powered through early in the week before while Cygnet showed prowess despite the conditions. Little Stint took her chances and worked westward towards Weymouth to get a better slant to Alderney, but meeting dense fog it turned southward with the weather clearing in time for the shipping lanes. Conditions didn't much improve, but by choosing our moments we worked the tides by 'island hopping' to get there in time. 

For those boats coming from the South West, wind and waves were abeam. The plucky Moon River,  Ester, Cynthia, Passager and Susan J all made it safely. Local boats Tarka from Guernsey and Fox Hound & Syrinx from Jersey and Byrony from Paimpol had less distance to travel. Jan Blank trailored from Holland too. Wales was represented by trailer sailor Nona me. 

Pete Eliston trailed his little fleet of smack boats dinghies all the way from Essex adding British colour to the quayside events. Dirty Girty amongst them, the French traditionalists scratching their heads!

But weather dictates, and probably most memorable event of the weekend was the big indoor cathedral ceremony, all bells ringing and priests a fluttering to bless the OGA fleet and join the big crew parade through the streets of St Malo down to the quayside to bless the first timbers of the Nouvelle Hermine, a replica boat building project of the Malouain ship that took Jaques Cartier across the Atlantic in 1536 and discover the St Lawrence River an open the path to the foundation of French Canada. 

This above all a celebration of the town's maritime traditions and a rallying call to the the scattered traditional boat sailing associations that struggle but thrive in isolated ports along the north French coast to come together under the OGA umberalla. The structure  of the British OGA seen as the model to follow-bringing all together. Serious meetings were held to discuss the future in a climate of dwindling funding from local government and heritage foundations. How can our old boats survive? 

The weather got better, by Sunday a 'shortened course' race along the coast was arranged and saw Fox Hound win first place while Susan J as 'the fastest boat to cross the line in the wrong place' won a prize too -with apologies for the race instructions being lost in translation! 

Overall 'quatre jours fantastiques!'. Each of us will bring home special memories that will take a long time to fade.