I took the good ship Skipjack to Bristol, and the last Portsmouth, but I'm pretty washed up with festiva, to be honest. What they seek to celebrate is, by definition, false. A festival of the sea, celebrated on land. The International label is a big story, as the mother festival of them all, Brest, attracts ten times the punters, and those do's are horror bags, and only get bearable when the fleet and the crowds thin out in Douarnenez.

I wouldn't stump up a groat to get into these do's, and if I wanted to hear 30 shanty choirs, I couldn't, as they'll clash. Much better to do Hull, or any other shanty festival.

Sorry to sound crabby, but the public don't get to see what I think is the good stuff, which are the sessions that take place on the bigger boats late into the night, especially the Hookers. I've never played as a payed musician, though. My comments are only as a session player.

Skipjack