Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, 11-16 July 2011

YOU  probably know how superstitious sailors can be.  Some might think the 13^th Sail Hebrides Festival should never have happened.  The organisers might well have skipped a year and gone straight to the 14^th in the same way as the numbering system of the Sound of Harris buoyage misses a couple of numbered marks.

The navigation aids went adrift in various storms and were judged not to need replacement. In contrast, two new shining green starboard marks were laid in the Approaches to Stornoway by the fine Northern lighthouse board ship Pole Star, just before a good number of the Tall Ships were due to arrive in Stornoway.

It was in fact a similar stopover  of the fleet which prompted the first Sail Hebrides Festival. A link had already been established with our neighbouring island’s own sail training vessel, the Lerwick registered, Swan. She has introduced many of our Western Isles pupils to traditional passage-making and a group of Lewis youngsters went on to raise funds to let them participate in a North Sea leg of the Tall Ships race, about a dozen years ago.

Norman Martin, a local volunteer, works with Mark Stockl, boatbuilder, to repair Jubilee in time. (Ian Stephen)

Most of the participants went on to choose a way of life where the sea or travel is central.   The legacy of that adventure has prompted  talk of recreating the last working sailing drifter in the British Isles, which happend to be the Zulu class Lewis boat, Muirneag –  and perhaps the waterborne events of last week might stimulate the discussion. That would be a fine blending of history, heritage, craft and sport.

Because the 13^th Festival did indeed happen, with some style and humour.

Most of the official events were programmed  early in the week so the yacht and boat challenges would not interfere with the coming and going of the tall ships.

This also left the participants a bit more time and space to enter into the spirit of the Heb Celt, because the overlap of events was more gentle than in previous years. Mind you, the talk and tunes of local and visiting crews alike resulted in a particular Sail Hebrides atmosphere which is arguably closer to the pioneering and good natured spirit of the early Hebridean Celtic Festivals.

Greylag and Vigo, A Festival as an attitude - schooner and sloop go cruising (Ian Stephen)

But on Monday of last week there was not one of our local lugsail fleet in commission in Stornoway. The 1912 Broad Bay was still in Loch Erisort after participation in a wonderful recreation of the tradition of crossing the loch to church, with psalm singing over the waters.  The 1935 Jubilee was still in a shed with major repairs to her her stern being completed. And the mighty an Sulaire was a static exhibitiion on the hard standing, suffering from some serious rot as a result of being left without shelter through two severe winters.

Two other local boats had only just been craned in after renovation so there was a sprint finish even before any sailing challenges had started. But the local yacht  Mevanier crossed the Minch to link with the Gairloch big boat regatta and continue the development of a fine relationship between mainland and island clubs.

So final bolts were being fitted and high-ups and trailers buzzing as the visiting vessels began to arrive.  We were straight  into a full-on Challenge on a tight harbour course. Last year’s experience with handicapping has paid off, leaving results very close and proving that well-sailed boats of any class have a fair chance.

In fact, it was a very tight tussle between two like 27ft craft which provided  interest for spectators. The visiting Albin Vega, Fairwinds, pipped the local Mevanier for victory. Roles were reversed on the next days’s recreation of the Cornation cup race, a full day’s challenge on a tough course, when Mevanier took the prize from last year’s winner, El Vigo – another local  but well-travelled boat.

David Skelly (now a Merchant Navy Cadet) skippers Jubilee to link with the Tall ships visit. (photo Nick Bowles)

But the most graceful of the fleet could be described as a tall ship in her own right and took the award for the shorter course.  The Bermudan-rigged  schooner Greylag is a Camper and Nicolson design from the 1890s. Her rig was changed but her hull and interior are very original. Her elegance on the water was matched by the conversation and good nature of the the couple who sail her on cruises which would shame so many of the more modern easily-handled vessels which very rarely throw off their mooring lines.

Smaller craft also featured strongly, proving that pleasure and successful passage-making are not always dependent on scale or budget. Jim Mottram’s widely cruised Resolution paid a welcome return visit to the Festival and Jim sailed an excellent Coronation Cup race.

Kevin McCann’s  sweet Moonpath crossed the Minch and also participated fully  in sometimes demanding conditions to  prove once more that  you gain learning  mainly by doing, at least in sailing skills.

I exchanged pilotage notes with George Henson who navigated Greylag to follow El Vigo into the Witches Pool near Mariveg, Lewis. The two wooden vessels cruised together as only one of many examples of how the Sail Hebrides Festval simply didn’t stop on a due date but continued in good spirit beyond organised events.

Over dinner in an oak paneled saloon, I asked George what he thought the week had been about. His response was to see a Festival, which is still developing, as a celebration of diversity. Visiting and local boats of traditional or innovative design had sailed happily together. Their crews had also linked with the mariners from the taller visitors. The Swedish and Finnish crew of the fore and aft schooner Contantia became paricular friends of the Jubilee team and proved to be accomplished sailors of the vernacular Lewis craft.

Only a few weeks before it seemed that the combination of the Heb Celt week with Tall Ships would overwhelm a smaller scale sailing programme.  In fact the ambience was as good as it has been, proving that there is a role for events where participation is the aim rather than providing entertainment for audiences.

The sight of the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar dinghy school, whizzing around all week emphasized the point and reaffirmed the Island community’s  commitment to a very pleasurable process of  learning by doing.

We will probably not gain from the impressive large-scale visitng fleet for a few years to come. It was suggested, however, that sponsorship from the Gibson company or family would be particularly welcome. And then the Sail Hebrides week could usefully be subtitled the Gibson Less Tall Ships event.

© Ian Stephen, 2011

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