Photos from the Festival du Bois Salé

These photos of what looks like some very relaxed late summer sailing were taken by the outstanding boat designer François Vivier at the recent (and splendidly-named Festival du Bois Salé) organised by the Le Défi du Traict, which is based around the Traict de Merquel.

The event is a rally of traditional boats and craft derived from traditional types, and seems to involve a fair amount of activity in Vivier’s sail-and-oar boat designs. The event seems to take place each September and I only wish it was nearer!

Le Défi du Traict was originally formed in 1997 to enter a competition sponsored by the magazine Chasse Marée to build a replica of 1796-style yole recovered from a ship that foundered in Bantry Bay – and it looks to me as though that yole appears in one of the photos.