HOLYHEAD FESTIVAL
“You have to let the public onto the pontoons so they can get up close and see the boats properly”
VIV HEAD
Above, from left: Small boats racing in fresh winds; historical re-enactment is not all about blokes and beards; Shearwater, a pretty 21-footer owned by Colin Snowdon
Sue and Pete try to include the local community in as many ways as they can. Pupils from a local school, Ysgol Y Parc, came up with an imaginative range of poster designs for the event – many of them demonstrating a nifty bit of researching ‘gaffers’ on Google. The winners were treated to a piratical prizegiving ceremony on board Zebu, with an authentic looking ‘Blackbeard’ giving the awards for the best posters.
Given a sympathetic venue and a team of volunteers, a gathering of traditional sail can be run at very little cost. But to grow into a festival attracting shoreside visitors, cash is needed. Attracting tall ships, even ‘small’ tall ships like Zebu and Pickle, costs money, but they form a colourful anchor to a festival – and the public adore them.
ATTRACTIONS
Live music and shoreside attractions also cost – but roving jazz band ‘Steamhead’, along with well-chosen maritime craftsmen, maintained the integrity of the theme and kept both public and crew entertained. So where has the funding come from? Early on in the
festival’s five-year history, the Farrers approached Holyhead Town Council and the ferry operator Stena Line and asked for sponsorship, which they now receive every year. However, the major funding has come from the European Regional Development Fund, through its Ireland Wales programme, which ‘aims to promote maritime identity, history and opportunity across and between Ireland and Wales’. It is administered by Rising Tide, based in Milford Haven and tasked with ‘the regeneration of coastal communities [and] building of a strong body for maritime heritage in Wales and Ireland’. Rising Tide’s Richard James explains why Holyhead Festival was chosen for funding: “We cover six counties in Wales, with funding to support an event in each one. I had to consider carefully which event in each county would celebrate Welsh maritime heritage and tradition in the best way. It also had to have the best chance of sustainability and the potential of a positive effect on the
40 CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2012
local economy. When I came across Sue and Pete Farrer I knew immediately that with their enthusiasm and drive this festival had the potential to become a major part of the traditional boating scene in Wales. It’s a must for traditional boat enthusiasts everywhere!” It is unlikely that the boat crews – or the public for that matter – know that they’re promoting the economy and enhancing the maritime identity of Wales. They’re just here to have a great time. Of course, it’s impossible to please everyone, and there are a few dissenters. The skipper of the Sigma receiving the full force of Zebu’s loudspeakers for hours on end was fairly relaxed about the invasion. (“Well, it’s only one weekend a year and the kids are enjoying it.”) Others, it’s true, were unimpressed by the noise from cannon fire and the invasion of the marina’s pontoons by landlubbers with their camcorders and baby buggies.
But Holyhead Marina director Geoff Garrod is robust in his support of the event. “It’s only one weekend a year and it’s great for the town. You have to let the public onto the pontoons, so they can get up close and see the boats properly.” An enlightened attitude indeed.
THE BOATS Finally, there are the boats, the forest of masts, flags and banners which form the heart of any maritime festival. Traditional boat owners, as varied and individual as their boats, enjoy sailing with others, socialising with other crews, and showing off their boats. An enthusiastic crowd of spectators on shore is icing on their cake. Forty boats attended last year’s festival, from all parts of the UK. Prize for the furthest-travelled went to Clovelly Picarooner Selkie, based at Keyhaven on the Solent. “It’s worth the journey for the atmosphere and camaraderie,” said her owners Oliver and Susan Nares. Holyhead’s a great example (not the only one...) of what boatowners and a coastal community can do together.
31 August – 3 September,
holyhead.northwalesoga.org
JOHN CAVE
RICHARD BURNELL
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