Set sail for the ACE Winches Scottish Traditional Boat Festival
28 June 2023
One of the country’s largest maritime culture and heritage events will sail into the historic harbour of Portsoy this July. The ACE Winches Scottish Traditional Boat Festival takes place on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd July 2023.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, a flotilla of traditional sailing vessels will drop anchor for a weekend of music and dance, Scottish food and drink, age-old crafts and unique handmade items and gifts.
Image credit: Harbour Crowds by Allan Robertson
A little bit of history
The festival was first held in 1993 as a one-off to mark the tercentenary of Portsoy harbour. Since then, it has been firmly anchored in the town’s calendar, taking place annually and attracting thousands of visitors from across the region and further afield.
What to expect on the day
Celtic rockers, Skerryvore will kick off the festival programme as they headline the Big Gig on the Back Green on Friday 30 June. The band, which has recently toured the globe, will perform tracks from their new album TEMPUS. This is a licensed event for over 18s only and tickets can be purchased online here.
Making her maiden voyage following long and extensive restoration works, the iconic Reaper, a 19th century Fifie Sailing Herring Drifter will return to the festival, thanks to our maritime sponsor Glenglassaugh. A rare survivor of the golden age of sail, Reaper is owned by the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther, Fife and is one of the few vessels in the UK’s National Historic Fleet which is still in seagoing condition. Visitors will be able to climb aboard Reaper and experience what life was like at sea, over 100 years ago.
Image Credit: Reaper by Allan Robertson
In the festival Food Fayre, you’ll find the best Scottish produce on the menu. From Aberdeen Angus beef to handmade pies and pickled onions, locally produced gin, rum and whisky and sweet treats including fudge, toffee and Belgian chocolate. However, no visit would be complete without a scoop, or two of Portsoy Ice-Cream.
Traditional craft demonstrations will be on display in the Craft Fayre, with handmade ceramics, jewellery, prints and paintings available to browse and buy. A host of local groups, artists and performers will take to the stage during the weekend, including Cullen-based duo Fair Trickit with their self-penned songs and festival favourites Skip 2 the Beat with their fast-paced skipping stunts.
Younger visitors can enjoy a range of fun activities in the Kid’s Zone, kindly sponsored by Macduff Shipyards and Portsoy Thrift Shop. Trampolining, bouncy castles, segways and you can see the sights on board the Tam O’Shunter Land Train, which will be running throughout the weekend.
The ever-popular Raft Race will take place on Saturday afternoon, where you can see teams of three compete to make it across the harbour in their homemade raft and paddles, without falling in!
Thanks to festival sponsors ACE Winches, Glenglassaugh, Puffin Wood Fuels, Hamlyns of Scotland Oatmeal, Macduff Shipyards, Portsoy Thrift Shop, Twice Buried Rum, Moray West, Urquhart Joinery Services, the Portsoy 75 Club and Gray Composting Services Ltd.
Buy your tickets here.
For festival updates follow @stbfportsoy or #ahoyportsoy on social media.
All information is correct at the time of publishing, we recommend that you check opening times and information for individual places before visiting.