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Home News Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire

GALLERY: Crowds and the sun come out for the Portsoy Boat Festival

By Lottie Hood and Ross Hempseed

Visitors flocked to the north-east port village of Portsoy on Saturday to take in sights of traditional vessels, enjoy good food and drink and live local music.

The hugely popular festival celebrating the north-east’s nautical history is held over two days in the village’s two harbours – one of which was built in the 17th Century.

Into its 29th year, the festival returned in-person for the first time since 2019, with Covid having prevented the last two events from going ahead.

Despite strong winds, the sun was shining as over 15,000 people flooded the port village – almost 10 times that of the village’s population.

Here are some of the best pictures from the festival:

Father and son team on the peaky boat Jim and Billy Milne. Pictures by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Portsoy Pipe Band make an entrance. Picture by Jason Hedges/ DC Thomson.
The festival included a raft race. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Gareth and Briony Davies at the Portsoy Boat Festival. Pictures by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Crowds enjoyed the many food stalls offering local cuisine. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Gary Cadwell and Julie Snape with the Peaky Cars. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Rafters take part in the Raft Race at the festival. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
While the sun was shining the water was surely cold. Picture by Jason Hedges/ DC Thomson.
Alan and Guy Burgess at the Portsoy Boat Festival. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Fair Ticket provide entertainment for the crowd. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Portsoy Fire and Recue raft team left to right – David Forsyth, Chris Sutherland and Matty Smith. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Crowds gathered around the harbour under the glorious sunshine. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Lesley and John Vickers sample the local cuisine on offer. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Danny Sanders from Well Hung at the festival. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Crowds watch the raft race participants. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Picture from left to right: Robert Wilson, Leanne Watt, Nora Watt, Ayla Mitchell, Kirstin Runcie and Grace the dog. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
John Mathers enjoys a burger. Picture by Jason Hedges/ DC Media.
Picture from left to right: Becca, Fiona, Karen from Turriff Dental Care. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Teams took to the water in homemade vessels. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Many were dressed in case they capsized in Portsoy Harbour. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Several teams participated in the raft race. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Heather Farquhar, Jude Leslie, Janice Hector enjoying sampling the local brews. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Crowds watching some of the races. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Kristi Grant and Abbie Mather. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Nigel Noble sampling some of the local scran. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Traditional boats were on display in both harbours. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Mel Ingram, Kirsty MacDonald and Beth Ingram enjoying some lunch. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Nigel Noble, Rosie Thomson, Cameron Noble, Peyton Rose and Lunar the dog. Pictures by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Kim Angus, Nora Mather and Claire Drennan enjoying the food and drink in the sunshine. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Many visitors took the opportunity to enjoy the day out with friends. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
There are expected to be around 16,000 to 20,000 people attending the festival over the course of the weekend. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
The hot weather proved too much for Misty the dog who had to be covered by a towel. Picture by Jason Hedges/DC Thomson.
Many people took the chance to sit out and enjoy the sunny weather. Picture by Jason Hedges/ DC Thomson.

‘It’s an important part of our heritage’: Portsoy Boat Festival returns following two-year absence

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