The Festival and Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

The Festival was invited by Mrs Clare Russell, the Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire, to represent the shire at the historic Thames Pageant and we are honoured to have been selected as one of the 1,000 craft taking part. So on June 3rd the Scaffie Obair-Na-Ghaol (Labour of Love), pictured inset, will proudly fly the Banffshire flag in London.  Built in 1996 by Alex Slater, Sinclair Young and others, she is an accurate copy of a famous fishing boat from Portnockie, the Gratitude, dating from 1896.

Thanks to generous help by Macduff Shipyard and Macduff Ship Design, Obair-Na-Ghaol is being fitted with an engine and the team from the PORT Boatshed will get her into splendid shape for the Royal occasion. We’ll keep you posted on progress, but we can announce now that Mrs. Russell will be at the Festival to welcome Obair-Na-Ghaol back to Portsoy as the opening event.

The Scottish Traditional Boat Festival Featured in Water Craft Magazine.

Sail & Oar in Scotland - 1. At this year's Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, Kathy Mansfield found the St Ayles Skiff races were the photgraphic highlights. See Watercraft Magazine