The 12th Interceltic Watersports Games - Kernow 24th-29th July 2006
http://www.intercelticwatersportsfestival.com/
http://www.celticwatergames.com/
The Interceltic Watersports Festival 2006 is a unique international Celtic event featuring watersports competitions, cultural activities, Celtic Markets and a Marine Market. The Festival is the only international event to combine sailing, surfing, kayaking, fixed and sliding seat rowing, diving, windsurfing and swimming. More than 700 competitors from eleven Celtic regions from across Europe including - Cornwall, Isle of Man, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, Galicia, Asturias, Euskadi (Basque Country) and North Portugal - are due to take part in the 2006 Festival.
Alongside the watersports events there will also be a host of shore based activities including a diverse range of cultural events reflective of each participating region, markets where you can taste and buy a range of goods from each region, and a Marine Market showcasing some of Cornwall's best marine businesses. If you're interested in visiting the Festival or taking part in the games, please subscribe to the Festival newsletter.
The 2005 11th Celtic Watersports Festival, Gijón, in Asturias
Organised in Gijón, in Asturias, from July 25th to July 30th, the 11th Celtic Watersports Festival gathered 475 participants, which makes it one of the most frequented in the short history of this watersports European meeting:
149 in surfing
116 in sailing
87 in rowing
78 in kayaking
45 in diving (underwater photography and flipper swimming)
11 regions or countries took part:
Norte Portugal
Canaries (invited)
Galicia
Asturias
Cantabrie (invited)
Catalonia (invited)
Euskadi
Brittany
Cornwall
Ireland
Scotland
What comes out from these 11th Games is the growing quality of the sports delegations which are now constituted and managed by their own regional or national federations. As a result of the International Committee work since the autumn 2002, the level of competitors keeps on getting higher and higher with a stabilised participation of around 500 competitors. This growth of the competition level is essential to the credibility of this meeting.
An example: It’s the first year that victory is fought for until the very last day. We usually witnessed a dual between the organising region and Brittany.
In Gijón, the suspense still hung in the balance until the very last hours of competition. The Basque Country (1st in surfing and rowing) finally caused a stir when it won against Brittany (1st in kayaking and diving), the Asturias (3rd, constant in the head of the competition in all sports) and the Norte (4th, 1st in sailing and 1st equally-placed in rowing).
Other smaller delegations also did brilliantly: Ireland finished 2nd in kayaking, Cornwall 3rd. In rowing, Scotland wins a good 4th position. In surfing, in now one of the principal annual meetings of the European elite, the Canary Islands finish 2nd and Cantabrie finishes 3rd. The great organisation that was based on the spot of Salinas welcomed 149 surfers and 10 delegations !
Another great point of satisfaction was that the International Committee, which is the guardian of the Festival and wants to guarantee the quality of the organisation, could play its role and take part by assisting the local organisations whenever it was necessary. It has been the case in kayaking and rowing where the supervisor appointed by the Committee and the team leaders rallied to ensure the success of these competitions.
In the same way, the International Committee cell in charge of the results proved its efficiency. Another positive point was that the Celtic Market was once again and for the 3rd time a real success. The late implementation was compensated by the great quality of the site and of the stands available. It gathered 50 exhibitors and received a lot of public during 5 days.
The members of the delegations showed again great emotion on the Closing Ceremony organised by the Town Hall: the Festival thus encourages more and more the development of exchanges and friendships between participants and managers from the different regions and different sports, between the Celtic Market exhibitors and between the musicians of the folk groups… This gathering between our maritime regions of the Atlantic Area has always been one of the main aims when the Festival was first launched in 1995.
Cornwall now takes up the torch. It has already published a presentation and it expects a greater participation with strong British and Irish delegations;
The 11th Festival confirmed the importance and the achievement of the Celtic Watersports Festival as a sport, cultural and economical event. Thanks again to Gijón, to the Vice-Mayor Teresa Ordirz and to its organisation team.
In regard to the Inter Celtic Watersports Festival in 2006
It should be a wild sporting fling, but how about inviting a contingent of Celtic Austrians (I kid you not, those in the South of the Country are like the Cornish in the extreme, same measured attitudes and lookin' towards fun and frolics and holding to the belief that those further "up country" are, well, so to speak...different...You know what I mean) :wink:
However, this whole Inter Celtic Watersports Festival 2006 is all about open arms and inclusiveness which is paradoxically a special Cornish preserve as well :!:
So, what about asking over a few of those kilt wearing Austro-Celts to add to the Scots? The Austro-Celtish Kärnteners are of the opinion that they were the first tribe, to invent and were a kilt...over 2000 year ago. They're great sailors the Austrians...true...Must be the great expanse of sea they enjoy
Slainte! Us celts should stick together.
The Cornish lovin' Irish man who wears a kilt whilst living in Austria (Formerly Truro lad).
I notice at the recent Trafalgar celebration in London, competing in the Trafalgar Great River Race were not only Cornish gigs but Celtic Longboats.
What are Celtic Longboats one may ask? I'm not too sure but it seems Welsh farmer Robin Pratt were working on Ramsey Island off St David's Peninsula when he found the remains of an Irish curragh - a wooden-framed tar-skinned rowing boat washed up on the shore.
To cut a long story short, he made a mould of the boat from which the first Pembrokeshire longboat - now called Celtic longboat - was born. The boat inspired the Pembrokeshire Longboat League which, over the last 20 years, has spread northwards along the coast to Cardigan and beyond before uniting with the Ceredigion League to form the 13-club Wales Longboat League Cymru.
I know we have our gigs, but has anyone seen a Celtic Longboat in Cornish waters yet?
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(Formerly Truro lad).