The departure of boats is always laced with nostalgia but when it consists of nearly 2,000 craft, each with their own maritime heritage, culture and tradition, amidst an atmosphere resounding with sirens and horns in thanks to the whole of Brest for its warm welcome, the emotion as they cast off for new horizons is tangible. It is warm though, with blue skies and fluffy clouds to provide the procession with enough breeze to tease them out to sea. As they disappear from view under the flags of around 30 countries, perhaps one of the most intriguing things about the Brest Maritime Festival is that you can really appreciate the significance and the privilege of what it is to play host to international maritime heritage.

500,000 visitors have flocked to Brest 2008 in NW France over the past six days and the majority of the locals have come down to the port everyday and every year since the festival began, eager not to miss out.