48 CLASSIC BOAT JANUARY 2018
Artist Claudia Myatt joined
a former fishing trawler at
Paimpol’s heady Festival
du Chant de Marin
PAINTBOX
AT PAIMPOL
T
he French have a knack for
maritime festivals. Brest,
Douarnenez and Golfe du
Morbihan attract large
numbers of traditional
boats from both sides of the Channel and
beyond to their ambitious events in
spectacular cruising grounds.
The biennial event at Paimpol, the
Festival du Chant de Marin (sea shanty
festival), which took place last August, is
a bit different. Firstly, it’s a lot smaller, with no more
than 200 boats. Secondly, the only sailing involved is
getting there and back, which is attraction enough given
its location south of the Channel Islands and just round
the corner from the lovely Trieux river. The boats are a
backdrop to the music; once you’re through the lock and
into the harbour there, you stay for the three days.
The harbour comes alive with marching bands,
circus acts, street performers, dancing, spontaneous
music afloat and ashore, even a Dutchman with trumpet
and barrel organ in a very tiny, lavishly decorated
dinghy. More than 150 acts from around the world
perform during the weekend and there is not a chance of
catching more than a few of them.
I joined MFV Marie-Fernand from my home port of
Woodbridge for the trip. Marie, built in 1963 and based
in Troon, was originally a herring ringnetter but found a
new lease of life when she was bought by fiddle player
Art Butler and brought down to Suffolk as a floating
workshop and music stage.
Art and his band Aartwork had been invited to
Paimpol festival as musicians, playing an acoustic set on
the quayside several times a day.
Bad weather pinned us into Cherbourg for a day, but
on Thursday afternoon we bashed through a lumpy sea
to catch the Alderney race south, then anchored at Sark
for a few hours, before pressing on to arrive at Paimpol
for high water on Friday. Let the fun begin!Saturday 12th
August – cool
and drizzly
Today there’s no point
waiting for the sun to come out
to start sketching, so I go for a
bright colour and reflections: Phil
Codgell’s lugger Our Boys always stands out.
She’s rafted up alongside pilot cutter Pegasus. Crowds are
building and I’m sitting on the edge of the quay – the inevitable
result being a paintbrush in the water. Luckily I have spares!Claudia Myatt spends most of her time drawing boats,
writing about them and sailing them. She also teaches
others to draw them. She lives on an elderly Dutch
tug boat up a creek in Suffolk. claudiamyatt.co.uk