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Last of the Tall Ships
Photo by L Katiyo
After the excitement of the Parade of Sail and the Greenwich Tall Ships Festival , life will slowly get back to normal and the river will seem strangely quiet and desolate. I was very fortunate in my quest to report the activities of the last few days to have the assistance of regular contributors L Katiyo and Eric Pemberton.
Photo by Eric Pemberton
As one last feature on the Tall ships , I would like to feature some of their photographs that captured the once in a generation event.
Photo by L Katiyo
Photo by Eric Pemberton
Photo by L Katiyo
Photo by Eric Pemberton
Photo by L Katiyo
Photo by Eric Pemberton
Photo by L Katiyo
Photo by Eric Pemberton
The Parade of Sail at Blackwall
The wonderful sight of around 50 Tall ships going down the Thames was too good an opportunity to miss, but rather than watch them at Greenwich I decided to watch them pass the old Maritime area of Blackwall .
For centuries this stretch of water was famous for its shipbuilding and safe anchorage.
It was also a major demarcation and embarkation point for millions of people.
The Greenwich Festival was the largest fleet of Tall Ships in London for 25 years.
Lets hope its not another 25 years before they return.
A Sailor’s Life for me ? Visiting the Festival Village at Greenwich
Photo by L Katiyo
With most of the attention of the Tall ships festival being focused on the ships themselves, perhaps some of the other attractions are not featured as much as they should be.
There are a wide range of activities for all the family in all the event areas which offer Drama, Music and Education.
Although we may have a romantic idea of Tall Ships with their sails billowing in the wind, the reality for the people who sailed on them was very different. Regular contributor L Katiyo went to the Lebara Festival Village at Maritime Greenwich to find out more.
Photo by L Katiyo
“At the Lebara Festival Village at Maritime Greenwich encompassing the Cutty Sark Gardens and the Old Royal Naval College, visitors can experience life at sea in the age of sail. Men working at sea had much to endure. Cut off from normal life on shore for months, even years, they had to accept cramped conditions, disease and poor food and pay. Above all, they faced the daily dangers of sea and weather
Photo by L Katiyo
The festival village offers an opportunity to what life was like then, complete with replicas of uniforms, the food sailors ate, muskets and performances of sea shanties. You can ask questions about the different types of jobs sailors did on board and their living conditions.”
Photo by L Katiyo
The festival which attracted huge crowds over the weekend finishes on the 9th of September .
Today , one of the highlights will be the ‘Puffers and Dunkirk ships’ flotilla along the Thames – a flotilla of classic boats between Greenwich and Woolwich including puffers (steam ships) that took part in the rescue from Dunkirk in 1940 and a vintage fireboat.
The programme of entertainment also continues throughout today – as does the chance to climb aboard a Tall Ship.
Tomorrow will be the grand Parade of Sail which sees the ships departing Greenwich .
Photo by L Katiyo
The Arrival of the Tall Ships in West India Dock
Walking down the east side of the Island this morning, early morning joggers and walkers came across a rather unusual sight, a line of tall ships moored near North Greenwich.
I say unusual sight but if we go back a 150 years ago it would have been extremely common and in many ways the south dock of the West India Dock was the spiritual home of the clipper fleet in London. Many of the famous clipper ships such as the Cutty Sark and Thermopylae were often moored in the dock.
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The South Dock 1885 (Photo National Maritime Museum)
The large number of ships moored today for the Greenwich Tall Ships Festival are not the largest in the fleet but they all have a story and are interesting in their own right.
Over the weekend, I will be looking at some of the ships in more depth and reveal some of their interesting histories .
Although only the first morning of the festival , there were already a large number of people looking at the boats and talking to the crews.
Just entering the dock is the John Laing with HRH Countess of Wessex aboard
Standing proud on the other side of the dock is the Stad Amsterdam which is not part of the festival but is well worth a look.
Tall Ships coming to West India Dock – The Royal Greenwich Tall Ships Festival 2014
From 5 to 9 September, Greenwich will host five days of maritime activities to welcome over 50 tall ships from around the world.
Although most of the action will be focused in Greenwich, it is expected that up to 24 tall ships will be moored in West India Dock and there will considerable activity up and down the river.
Here is a list of the highlights.
Tall Ships events
Launch extravaganza: Peixos by Sarruga
Location: Maritime Greenwich
Date: 05 September 2014
Time: 20:30 – 21:15
Cost: Free
Fireworks Display – Maritime Greenwich
Location: Maritime Greenwich
Date: 05 September 2014
Time: 21:15 – 21:30
Cost: Free
River Festival: Thames barges
Location: Maritime Greenwich to Royal Arsenal Woolwich
Date: 05 September 2014
Time: 15:00 – 16:30
Cost: Free
River Festival: Traditional ships
Location: Maritime Greenwich to Royal Arsenal Woolwich
Date: 06 September 2014
Time: 12:00 – 14:00
Cost: Free
Crew parade and prize-giving
Location: Maritime Greenwich
Date: 06 September 2014
Time: 14:00 – 17:00
Cost: Free
Fireworks Display – Royal Arsenal Woolwich
Location: Royal Arsenal Woolwich
Date: 06 September 2014
Time: 21:45 – 22:00
Cost: Free
River Festival: Royal Pageant
Location: Maritime Greenwich
Date: 07 September 2014
Time: 11:30 – 13:00
Cost: Free
Ship Visits – Wood Wharf, Canary Wharf
Location: Wood Wharf, Canary Wharf
Date: 06 September 2014 – 08 September 2014 (Every day)
Time: 10:00 – 18:00
Cost: Free
River Festival: Puffers and Dunkirk ships
Location: Maritime Greenwich to Royal Arsenal Woolwich
Date: 08 September 2014
Time: 14:00 – 15:30
Cost: Free
Ship Visits – Greenwich Peninsula
Location: Greenwich Peninsula
Date: 05 September 2014 – 08 September 2014 (Every day)
Cost: Free
Ship Visits – Maritime Greenwich
Location: Maritime Greenwich
Date: 05 September 2014 – 08 September 2014 (Every day)
Cost: Free
Parade of Sail
Location: All along the Thames east of Greenwich
Date: 09 September 2014
Time: 13:00 – 16:00
Cost: Free
Isle of Dogs Life 