There has been a change of the watch in the Chairmanship of the cheerfully complex Cruinnui na mBad (the Gathering of the Boats) festival at Kinvara in the southeast corner of Galway Bay. 2025's staging at the weekend saw Paddy Donovan taking over as chairman after several years of Dr Mick Brogan being the top honcho, and most appropriately, a case of some very interesting French wine arrived in by sea for presentation to the outgoing Chair.
Blasts from the past. The bad mhor Tonai gets neatly under way under sail while the formerly Mayo-based Arctic-explorer Northabout approaches the quay under power.
It was mostly a matter of serendipity. The renowned Mayo-built expedition and science research yacht Northabout, of Jarlath Cunnane and Paddy Barry Artic-circling fame, is now based at La Rochelle in France, and regularly visits Greenland.
Different styles, shared friendship – MacDuach and Norhabiut rafted at Kinvara quay.
Outgoing Cruinniu chairman Dr Mick Brogan (left) receives his gifts of wine from across the sea from the crew of Northabout
But when her skipper Tobias Carter heard of the Kinvara gathering from the crews of French traditional craft that took part in 2024, he resolved that Northabout would divert from her usual route while on her way to Greenland in 2025 to spread goodwill in Kinvara among people who included some who had sailed on Northabout in extremely high latitudes.
Northabout (left) and MacDuach – two completely different chapters in the story of naval architectural development
The contrast between Northabout and Mick Brogan's own ketch-rigged "super-hooker" Mac Duach could not be greater. But the brotherhood of the sea ensured that the gift of wine - with the two boats rafted together in Kinvara's inner harbour –was a worthy addition to the festival of music and sailing and the celebration of Ireland's west as it interacts with the Atlantic and those who sail on it.
It says much about the Irish enthusiasm for sport that all this harbourside celebration was accompanied by a programme of racing through conditions which at times were perfect sailing weather, and at times were distinctly less so.
Symbols of the west – racing hookers heading for Kinvara pier
A lead is being established as the race takes shape
Even in a light breeze, the pier mark generates its own excitement
But one of the attractions of the Kinvara festival is that the most easterly turning mark is close off the pier, and on a breezy day the excitement of big boats such as the Tonai (the superstar of the day this year) tacking within yards of the crowd of spectators on the quay is matched only by the skills of the badoiri after the race finish in judging to a nicety the speed they'll need as they round up to carry their engineless way to their berth in the increasingly crowded harbour.
2025 has seen mixed weather, but the Atlantic weather still served up its rainshower to blur the results. Nevertheless while the Dan Goodridge Seamanship Trophy went with popular acclaim to Bertie & Michael O'Donnell of the St Mary, the stylish Tonai was the Boat of the Show.
The Atlantic weather did what it could to blur the results
Star of the Show. The Tonai making a very finely-judged engineless glide-path to her post-race berth.
Our thanks to Pierce Purcell of Galway Maritime for his assistance in assembling this report.
