Fifty years to the day since its first voyage (and fifty years plus one since the UK joined the Common Market) (January 2), Brittany Ferries was celebrating. The company which operates from Plymouth, Portsmouth and Poole brought more than 120 representatives of twinning associations in Brittany to meet their counterparts in Devon including Newton Ferrers, Cornwall and Wales for a reception and dinner on board flagship Pont-Aven in Plymouth. The ship left Roscoff in Brittany at 9am UK time.

Converted Israeli tank-carrier Kerisnel left Roscoff in Brittany, bound for Plymouth carrying her cargo of cauliflowers and cognac. She arrived in Millbay on January 2 1973, the day after Britain had joined the common market (forerunner to the EU).

Within a few years the company had opened more routes with better ships and introduced sail-and-stay holidays for its biggest export market: British tourists. Today Brits comprise around 90 per cent of all passengers on board.

“Since our first sailing, Brittany Ferries aim has been to enrich regions by connecting people and boosting trade,” said Christophe Mathieu CEO Brittany Ferries. “This special anniversary event will help reinforce those links – and reconnect those who have been separated for too long by Covid and Brexit. We want to strengthen the entente cordiale between people who are closer to each other culturally and geographically, than they are to centres of power in Paris and London.”

Entertainment at the event was courtesy of Breton folk band Dremmwel. Their music has been the soundtrack to the start of a holiday for an estimated 24.6 million passengers. That’s because music from the four-piece has been used as wake-up tunes in cabins on board most ships since 2009.

“Dremmwel’s songs must be among some of the best-known in Britain,” added Mathieu. “Few may know the men behind the music, but everyone who travels with us know what their songs signify: they say wake-up holiday maker, you have arrived at your destination.”