After recent Tall Ship visitors from the United States and Mexico, it is a pleasant surprise to see the arrival of the British Tall Ship Stavros S Niarchos into the West India Dock today. The Stavros S Niarchos was last in the dock in September last year and is a regular visitor to the Thames and a familiar sight in numerous tall ship events.
The Stavros S Niarchos is a British brig-rigged tall ship owned and operated by the Tall Ships Youth Trust. Built in 2000, she has been used to give young people the opportunity to develop skills and talents whilst undertaking voyages to various locations. She is also available for voyages and holidays which provides revenue to maintain the operation of the ship.
The ship has a length of 197ft , masts of 148ft and beam of 32ft, she usually operates a crew of 69 which include regular crew and volunteers.
When she visited last year, the Stavros S Niarchos was put up for sale, it does appear that is still the case, so if you have dreamed of owning your own tall ship here is your opportunity.
Another unexpected visitor is French Navy weapons-range safety patrol boat FS Aramis who like last week’s French visitor, the FS Scarpe is part of the Maritime Gendarmerie.
The Maritime Gendarmerie are part of the French Navy and the ships carry out a series of duties including chasing criminal activity, protection of the naval shore establishments and Search and rescue.
The FS Aramis was launched in 1980 and often carries a crew of around 12 including divers.
Once again, regular contributor Eric Pemberton managed to take a couple of photos of the tall ship entering the dock.
Isle of Dogs Life 