13 June 2017

Hélène Rémond writes:

The 9th edition of the maritime and international event Semaine du Golfe (Gulf Week) took place from Monday 22 to Sunday 28 May in Morbihan, Southern Brittany, France. The climax was the parade of boats on Sunday. There were more than 1,200 different boats from 13 nations forming ten flotillas. Thousands of visitors could see the vessels go past very close to the shore. This year, the guest of honor was the SNSM, the National Sea Rescue Association, which celebrates its 50 years.

The idea of this event was born after the tanker MV Erika shipwrecked in December 1999 releasing thousands of tons of oil into the sea destroying marine life and polluting shores around Brittany. Efforts had been made by the Authorities and volunteers to clean the shoreline and it was important to show Morbihan had recovered its unspoiled environment. Since then, French sailor Gérard d’Aboville, well known for his two Ocean rowing crossings over the Atlantic in 1980 and the Pacific in 1991, has been the General Commissioner. 2,000 volunteers are working side by side at this free event to make it a real success.

Here is a video from the QUIBERON 24 Television from this year’s event:

The next edition of the Gulf’s Week will be in 2019.

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