Set sail for Baltimore Boat Festival

WITH cannons blazing and a crew dressed in colourful period costume, a spectacular tall ship is expected in the harbour village of Baltimore today marking the start of the acclaimed Baltimore Seafood & Wooden Boat Festival.

The SV Matthew, a modern recreation of the square-rigged caravel in which John Cabot sailed from Bristol to Newfoundland in 1497 is anticipated in the West Cork village between 4pm and 5pm.

The Bristol-based vessel, which will remain in the area for about a week, will carry passengers on harbour cruise sailing trips during her visit to Baltimore and will also visit Youghal, Waterford and Belfast.

“The SV Matthew will be centre stage this year — there’ll be great excitement when she arrives in the harbour. The cannons will be firing blanks,” said Michael Walsh, a founder member of the Wooden Boat Festival, which, along with the hugely popular Seafood festival is expected to draw great crowds over the weekend. Visitors can also enjoy a barbecue in the Baltimore Harbour Hotel on Friday night, followed by two days of set dancing, gourmet food, races, music and entertainment for children.

As part of the Baltimore Seafood Festival, food tents lining the pier will offer exotic wares from West Cork’s finest fish smokers, cheese makers and organic gardeners.

For those interested in their maritime heritage, traditional Boats including Long Island Mackerel Yawls & Galway Hookers will be on display along with demonstrations of the construction of traditional wooden boats. There will be a boat-making machine and two Bantry longboats — including An Seabhac Mara, which is due to compete in the Atlantic Challenge 2006 in Genoa this summer.

“We’re expecting up to 30 wooden sailing boats to attend the festival — they’ll come from Kinsale and England — you’d be surprised who’ll turn up,” observed Nigel Towse, a member of the organising committee of the Wooden Boat Festival.

*baltimorewoodenboatfestival.com