Today we’re in Lorient, in southern Brittany, for its famous Interceltic Festival. Brittany shares a Celtic heritage with Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, and—some maintain—Galicia and Asturias (both in Spain). It turns out Ireland is Lorient's country of honor this year, thus Irish dancing all over the place. French television asked us if they could use our boat decks for a video shoot featuring several dancers. Hmmmmm. A few dozen metal taps hammering away on our wooden decks? We decided to take a pass. But… we were happy to provide a photogenic Celtic background for a jig or two (our boats are reproductions of a classic 19th-century Breton cutter) and to give the presenter a stage from which to welcome the crowd and his TV audience.

So, is a QBE sailing expedition pretty out-of-the-ordinary summer enrichment or what?