Will Sutherland worked on Catching the Wave, an initiative for the Welsh Assembly, promoting sailing in Wales. He urged politicians to visit the sea festivals in Brittany, as an example of what could be done. But when nobody took up the challenge he decided: “I will do it myself.” And so the Celtic Goodwill Raids were born.
They began in 2005, with a three week cruise in company. The 2006 raid lasted two months, and was such a success that now plans are in hand for an even bigger and better event - in fact a whole series of “raids” throughout the summer in 2007.
“People can join up where they like and leave where they like,” said Will. In 2006 89 different boats, from Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium and France took part in some or all of the two month-long voyage around the coast of Wales, Cornwall and Southern Brittany.
There were 39 visiting yachts at Holyhead Marina for the opening regatta at the end of June, when the event was launched with a day of racing and entertainment ashore and afloat, culminating in “a seafarers' supper in the sailing club accompanied by a romping sea shanty band.”
It was a taste of things to come, as Will had planned the 600- mile route, a travelling flotilla for boats of all types, old and new, large and small, sail and motor, to link a series of maritime festivals and regattas round the coasts of the Celtic nations. “It worked extremely well,” said Will. “We went from one festival to another. There wasn't a festival in Holyhead, so we made one!”
After leaving Holyhead, the flotilla visited ports and festivals around the Welsh coast, before heading south to Cornwall and Brittany. Skippers and crews joined the raid and left it where they wished, creating a snowball effect along the route, he said.
Highlights included L'Aber Wrac'h where 1,000 people sat down to supper of moules and frites during an “amazing sea shanty festival,” and Lorient, where there were ten days of Celtic festivals, attracting up to 1,000,000 people a day. The raid finished with fireworks in La Trinité sur Mer on August 15th .
“That is what it is about, introducing people to different things, having a lot of fun. Now we have got a group of people who will always stay together,” said Will.
"We are organising these fun events to foster exchange relationships between cruising sailors in all the Celtic nations and we have started in the way we aim to go on. We have been welcomed with open arms and have invited our French Friends to join next year's Raid in Wales and Ireland."
The Celtic Goodwill Raid aims to promote not just the whole water sports tourism industry, but also the sustainable use of watersports environments. There is a strong environmental theme along with all the fun.
The flotilla was greatly enjoyed by “old hands” and newcomers to sailing alike, said Will. It provides opportunities for inexperienced boat owners to “go foreign” with the confidence provided by company. New sailors can join the crews of sea school and charter boats, which are planning to support the 2007 raids in large numbers.
In 2006, Will said, the organization became a bit complicated as boats came and went, some finding a destination they liked and opting to stay, so for 2007 he is proposing a slightly more formalized arrangement.
The three months plus programme will be divided into five ten-day “raids,” with a limit of 100 boats in any one raid. There will be cruises in company between the raids. So boats can sign up for a single raid, or the whole summer. The cost is a reasonable £75 per raid for “all the organization, discounts in marinas, discounts at the festivals, all the fun and all the help.”
One of the great things about cruising in company, said Will, was that as in any boating holiday “all sorts of things went wrong, but not one of those things wasn't sorted by someone on the raid.”
On one occasion he stepped across on to another boat in mid Channel to try to mend an engine breakdown. He couldn't solve it himself, but was talked through the repair by another raider via VHF!
The outline programme for 2007 is:
- Raid Wales: May/June Cardiff, Swansea, Dale, Lawrenny, Milford Haven, Fishguard, Aberystwyth, Pwllheli
- Raid Scotland: mid June Inverkip, Largs, Kyles of Bute, Troon
- Raid Irish Sea: end June/July Dublin, Peel, Douglas and St Mary's (Isle of Man), Holyhead
- Northern Ireland Feeder: end June Bangor, Peel, joins up with Irish Sea Raid
- Raid on Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Regatta: July 12th-15th
- Raid Cornwall and Southern Brittany: mid July/early August Penzance/Newlyn, L'Aber Wrac'h, Camaret, Audieerne, Benodet, Isles des Glenans, Concarneau, Lorient, Etel
- Raid Channel Islands and Normandy: late August Solent-Cherbourg, Normandy, Channel Islands, St Malo
For more information contact Will Sutherland at info@goodwillraid.com or visit www.goodwillraid.com
