A group of history enthusiasts are planning to sail a boat built in the style of the Middle Ages from Brittany to Scotland in honour of their shared Celtic heritage.
The boat, named Brioc, is made from wood and leather with linen sails, and its sailors will be dressed in wool, linen and leather. They will aim to recreate the conditions of a 10th-century voyage, including cooking on an open fire lit using flint in a stone trough.
The association, Gward an aod, was hoping to make the journey last summer, but reached its funding targets too late, so instead used the time to ready the vessel, preparing new sails which were hand-stitched, and training the crew.
They are now planning to set sail next summer, and will sail via Wales, the Isle of Man and Ireland, replicating the historical trade between the Celtic nations.
“Mediaeval navigation is all about waiting for the right moment to set off. We have no motor, just oars and sails, so we mustn’t take any risks,” said Ingwenog Jaouen, the boat’s captain.
The boat is named after Saint Brioc, a Welsh holy man who settled in what would later become Brittany. He also lent his name to Saint-Brieuc, the town in which the replica boat was built in the 1990s.
Brioc is a currach, a type of Irish boat over which animal skins or hides are stretched, upon which the founder saints of Brittany are said to have travelled from Wales and Cornwall.
The idea behind the voyage to Scotland is a symbolic one: they will collect the plans of a boat which was used in Scotland in the Middle Ages, and which also corresponds to the type of boat used in Brittany. They then plan to build the boat upon returning to France.
They also plan to make several stops on the way and participate in demonstrations and re-enactments. The association is hoping to produce a film documenting the adventure.
Both the boat and the association are based in Kerlouan (Finistère).
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