A nautical event that brings together hundreds of heritage boats
On Monday, May 15, 2023, the great nautical parade opened the Semaine du Golfe which is back in Morbihan from May 15 to 21. This major nautical event brings together traditional boats in flotillas that sail every day to the ports of call and ports of the Gulf of Morbihan. At the heart of this maritime festival are some of the most beautiful traditional and classic sailing ships of French and European heritage, mainly from the Atlantic coast, but also from the Mediterranean, English Cornwall and the North Sea.
The registered boats - there were more than a thousand at the last edition in 2019 - are divided into 8 homogeneous flotillas: yawls and sail-oar boats, classic yachts, old fishing and working sailboats... There are also large sailboats from 20 to 40 m, such as three-masted ships, brigs or schooners. Each day, each flotilla follows its own sailing program to reach a different port each evening. In total, 17 ports participate in the event, including Arradon, Auray, Ile aux Moines, Le Bono, Locmariaquer, Sarzau and Vannes.
Activities on land
In addition to the sailing, the Gulf Week offers during this Ascension weekend many animations and exhibitions on land, under the tents: tasting, grills, model making, music, shows, walking tours...
A program combining parades and sailing
The first two days are devoted to the nautical parade, during which all the boats present join the flotilla of Tall Ships off Méaban before entering the Grand Chenal to enter the gulf. Tuesday 16th is a "ritual" day on the island of Arz where hundreds of boats come to moor for a big picnic. The first flotillas start on Wednesday May 17 for three days, as well as the opening of the Maritime Heritage Village in the port of Vannes. Finally, the day of Saturday, May 20 is a great nautical spectacle, since the parade given at 4:30 pm brings together all the flotillas and tall ships for a navigation from the bay of Quiberon to the heart of the gulf.
Tall ships and remarkable vessels
Among the flotilla of heritage sailboats, we can find the Hydrograaf this 40.5 m long steamboat was built in 1910 and is the current yacht of the Queen of the Netherlands for her official trips. The boat is located in the port of Vannes and can be visited. The two largest boats the Oosterschelde a 50 m schooner and the Morgenster a 48 m brig will be visible at anchor between Port-Blanc and Ile aux Moines.
Also present will be la Recouvrance a replica of an aviso ship built in 1992 and a symbol of Brest, or the Marité which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, the last witness of the epic of the great Newfoundland fishery. The two sailboats will be anchored at Port-Blanc and Île aux moines. The Great Ermine and La Belle-Poule the symbols of the national navy, will also be part of the event.
Boarding for companies and individuals
About thirty tall ships of the French and European heritage organize charters for companies and some for individuals, groups or individuals. This is the case of the French of the Etoile du Roy and the Etoile Molène of the Corentin or la Cancalaise to name a few.
Flotillas to meet at sea
The majority of the fleet is represented in flotillas, of which there are 8 for this 2023 edition. In February 2023, nearly 1256 boats were already pre-registered, among which the sail and oar boats were the most represented. In these categories, we find open boats of the small traditional yachting, classic yachts of more than 8 m, yachts of the 60s and 70s, working yachts, but also classic motorboats.
If France is the most represented country of this gathering with 1064 registered boats, of which 45% are from Brittany, we note the presence of foreigners like Great Britain with 84 boats or the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium or Spain. If the event attracts regulars every year, this year we will discover newcomers such as the coast Saint Gildas in the flotilla 6, a replica of the Camaret lobster boat of 10 m, or again Nyala a yawl, the first shallow-draft boat in Flotilla 1.
