David Urquhart has spent more than 25 years involved with the Glenglassaugh Scottish Traditional Boat Festival (STBF) in Portsoy – and for him it’s all about the community.
Currently, he is at the helm of the festival in his role as chairman, and when we catch up, the Portsoy man is marvelling at how close the big day is for this year’s event on June 22 and 23.
From its beginnings in 1993 as a one-off to mark the tercentenary (300th year) of Portsoy harbour, it has grown and attracts thousands of visitors every year. This year around 15,000 visitors are expected to attend the event.
Heritage boats from across the country will arrive in the historic harbour for a weekend of music and dance, food and drink, and traditional craft.
Helping a community event
Speaking of how he came to be involved in the festival, David, who took on the role of chairman in January 2021, said: “It’s a big thing.”
The festival is organised by Portsoy Community Enterprise (PCE) which David also heads up. A social enterprise run by volunteers, the PCE also looks after the Salmon Bothy, The Boatshed, Portsoy Links Caravan Park and The Sail Loft.
He added that his involvement in the festival started to “support the community”. David explained: “I wasn’t there at the very beginning in tercentenary year. As it developed, I was asked if I could help with different bits and pieces, and it was just to help a community event.
“The community event has just grown and grown. We’ve got to watch we don’t overdo it, we’ve got to let it plateau – you’ve got to manage it, there’s only so much you can do within the village.
“It’s to keep it interesting, keep changing the atmosphere of the whole thing so they will have different things coming every year. You need variety to keep the spice up!”
This year the festival will host the Red Arrows on the Saturday – it is their only Scottish date during their diamond season campaign.
Helping put things in place
David tells me that pulling together the event is a team effort, and he quips “it’s not the David Urquhart festival”. For him it’s the committee who play a starring role. As he says: “I am chairman – but we’ve got a very good committee. I am here to try and facilitate everything that people want.
“I just try and help put things in place for people to come up with ideas – try and get ideas and make it be fruitful. Each area has different co-ordinators, and they get a lot of responsibility on their own.”
And a key component is encouraging young people and giving them a chance to shine, he said: “There’s younger people in the committee and we give them a lot of rope so they can actually do things themselves. It’s my belief that if you don’t allow them to develop, then they do not want to stay in committees. So you’ve got to let them bear fruit themselves.”
And on the theme of “letting the young ones come up”, David tells me that the much-anticipated Red Arrows appearance was the idea of a young woman called Lauren who works in their office. As a result of her idea the application was submitted the appearance secured.
As David said: “If we can support the younger ones, if they see something happening, it gives them a bit of thought and they see all they can achieve.”
Planning a year ahead
This year around 30 traditional boats from across the UK will sail into Portsoy, including 17th Century Fifie herring drifter Reaper, which will make the journey from the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther, Fife.
Also returning to the festival is White Wing, a 33ft Baldie, and setting sail from Wick in Caithness will be 19th Century Fifie and festival favourite, the Isabella Fortuna.
While the Big Gig on the Back Green on the Friday will be headlined by Skipinnish.
Planning a festival such as the STBF is no small thing, and David is constantly thinking ahead, as he explained: “It’s an ongoing thing. We are planning for 2025 already – we’ve got the big band booked. You’ve got to be working at least a year in front yourselves.”
Highlights from Scottish Traditional Boat Festival over the years
With more than 25 years of festivals under his belt David surely has a treasure chest of memories, so what are some of his favourites? Or are there just too many to choose from?
Well as it turns out he can think of one or two.
He says: “One of the good things is the festival is always fun! We still have a raft race with competition between the coastguard and firemen. One year we had the old harbour and new harbour and we had all the rafts in – we finished up and I said ‘you’ve all heard of the demolition derby for the stock cars?! Well last one floating is the winner!'”
Laughing as he recounts the story, David says: “There must have been 2,000 people around the harbour, and I didn’t see them as I was on the roving mic winding a’bidy up! It wasn’t until I stopped that I realised the harbour was just packed.”
Promoting the north-east
This year, as well as the raft race, bath tubs will also be making an appearance, with a bathalon. It will see those taking part steering a bath around a course in the Old Harbour. There will also be bathtub races, to see who can finish the course in the quickest time.
But the all-important question here is will David be taking part? And with a spark of his characteristic humour he says: “I will make sure everyone is in the baths!”
In 2020, Portsoy Community Enterprise was among the recipients of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services.
And David said of the work they do: “It’s all it’s all about promoting the north-east, Portsoy and destination Portsoy.”
And the royal link with Portsoy is something that has been a source of delight to those involved in the festival. Princess Anne has visited the festival twice, and one of those was last year when she opened the event for its 30th anniversary and spent several hours there.
David wants to see everyone enjoying themselves
David said it was “definitely” a highlight: “The amount of time she spent speaking to people – it was no rush with her.”
He went on to say she showed a lot of interest in the crafters as well as the volunteers such as the coastguards and seal and dolphin rescue. She also met the committee members.
David said: “The committee members, everything they do here is for free and she honed in on all that and it was pleasing to see.”
And as the date for this year is rapidly approaching, David said: “I just want to see nice weather, and everybody coming along and enjoying themselves and a happy atmosphere. That’s all I look for – seeing a’bidy enjoying themselves, that’s what makes the festival. Then we tidy up and prepare for next year!”
For more information about the festival and for tickets go to stbfportsoy.org
Five questions for David Urquhart
- What book are you reading? No time to read books with being Chairman of PCE and STBF
- Who is your hero/heroine? Neil Diamond
- Do you speak any foreign languages? Sadly none – always encourage younger ones to have another language
- What is your favourite music/band? Skippinish and Skerryvore
- What is your most treasured possession? My Family
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