This is the third time the event has been held in Pasaia. The first time, in May 2018, over one hundred boats came to the gathering of traditional boats.

Being there was like delving into a vast library. The docks didn’t lay idle for a single moment. Boats and their crews were constantly coming and going. When they all went out to Pasaia’s small stretch of sea, there were endless sails and oars, whichever way you looked. And equally impressive, were the looks and expressions on the faces of those crews. Surprise and happiness at the same time. Happiness that spread to the hundreds of visitors who tried not to miss a single part of the activities planned during those days.

They all knew that they were present at an event that would – and did – mark a turning point on the Basque coast. Having visited the Albaola Itsas Kultur Faktoria shipyard/museum, where the ‘San Juan’ has been buil – the replica of the whaling ship that sailed off from Pasaia’s small stretch of sea in the 16th century, heading off towards Terranova to hunt whales – an image of that departure was conjured up for many a person and they “saw with their own eyes” the Basque galleon as it headed out to sea. On the dock, their wives, mostly dressed as if in mourning, looked up at heaven and prayed for the happy return of those crews.

Nowadays, all that remains of that culture is found in books, in oral traditions that are yet to be lost… But it is also relived at events like the one held in Pasaia, which will return again this May, from 14 to 17. One big plus, among many others, is that all of the children who were there to see it in 2018, who will see it this year and in years to come, will be able to talk about that maritime culture in the present tense, because it’s alive and kicking and they have witnessed it.