On 16 and 17 June 2018, the Lorient Keroman fishing port festival and the tenth anniversary of the Cité de la Voile Éric Tabarly merge into a single event called Ports en fête. It will be the occasion to celebrate the maritime nature of Lorient, its diversity (fishing, yachting, racing...) and its impressive size (City of Sailing, submarine bases, various ports...). It will also be an opportunity to pay tribute to the death of Eric Tabarly 10 years ago, in June 1998.
A new place to celebrate
Usually organised on the quays of Lorient Keroman, the Port en Fête event will be held this year at Lorient La Base, on the offshore racing side of the peninsula, and becomes Ports en Fête by winning a plural. For the first time therefore - on 16th and 17th June next - in relation to the 10th e anniversary of the Cité de la Voile which Lorient will celebrate, all the facets of its maritime and port activities which generate 14 000 jobs.
"From fishing to tourism, shipbuilding, trade or ocean racing, Lorient is "the only city to cover all port issues" within the international network of port cities (AIVP)" recalls Norbert Métairie, President of Lorient agglomeration.
Multiple activities
Ports en Fête will offer the public a panel of boats - a mix that represents the city of Lorient well - with trawlers, which will rub shoulders with the incredible racing boats from the Lorient La Base Offshore Racing Centre. Visitors will be able to taste seafood while chatting with fishermen and skippers. The discovery of the Lorient Keroman auction will alternate with initiations to sailing on the water or, if you wish, a free, interactive and fun immersion in the world of ocean racing, under the nave of the Cité de la Voile.
It's an opportunity to bring together worlds that are neighbours, adjoining each other on the Keroman peninsula, but without much traditional contact, in the words of Jean-Marc Beaumier, director of the Cité de la Voile Eric Tabarly.
A tribute to Eric Tabarly
This 10th anniversary of the Cité de la Voile will coincide with the 20th anniversary of Tabarly's disappearance. The Cité de la Voile is home to the association bearing his name and serves as the home port for his sailing Pen Duicks. Ports en fête will salute the great sailor who disappeared at sea 20 years ago, off the coast of Ireland.
