70th Anniversary flotilla of Free French from Brittany-Cornwall
Thu, 17 Jun 2010 - Sun, 11 Jul 2010
On 26 June 1940 around 21.30 Le Corbeau de Mers, a langoustine fishing boat, cast off from the lighthouse slipway of the Ile of Sein, Brittany for England.
Seventy years ago this summer, most of France was occupied by the Nazi army. Hundreds of French people, unwilling to accept German occupation, escaped to the UK, many of them to Cornwall.
On 26 June a flotilla of Breton traditional boats will recreate the journey to Newlyn to remember the events of June 1940 and the beginning of Free France. Expected to arrive 28 June.
A second flotilla will depart L'Aberwrac'h for Mylor on 27 June.
The celebrations begin in Ile de Sein on 17th and 18th June under the auspices of Comité de Commémoration de l'Appel du 18 Juin.
The boats will be welcomed in England from the 28th June until the 11th July with a series of planned events on land
and sea, such as a reception at Penzance 30 June, a regatta of oyster boats in Falmouth Bay 2nd July, sailing from Falmouth to the Helford Passage.
If you would like to be part of this historic event, it is possible to join the flotillas.
Furthermore, people will be able to join théme cruises on the Ships of Gouelia, Corentin and the Belle-Etoile.
Several historic boats will already be there to participate - ie: Le Mutin, La Grande Hermine, Penn Duick, Le Corbeau des Mers, Le Marche-Avec, La Belle-Angéle, Le Corentin, La Belle-Etoile, Le Minaouet ll, le Gwen Gleiz (cotre de Carantec), La Coronasia etc.
- Location:
- Isle de Sein, Brittany - Cornwall (Mylor and Newlyn)
- Web site:
- http://www.golowanmaritimefestival.co.uk/updates.html
