Tall Ships in Liverpool - July 2008
by Margaret B Dickinson.
Click on the photo below to see the full collection of Margaret’s superb photos on flickr.com
John Masefield’s “Sea Fever” did it for me, and more so the “Onedin Line” with all that adventure and romance and billowing sails, Aptly, this BBC TV drama series was created by a Liverpudlian, Cyril Abraham, about a Liverpool family of ship owners in the 1800s. It ran from 1971 to 1980 and I don’t think I missed a single episode.
Despite my daydreaming about being whisked away on a galleon I’ve never been happy on water. My boating fate was sealed on a maiden voyage at Blackpool in 1942 in the children’s boating pool at Uncle Tom’s Cabin. It measured all of 25 square metres, was fully enclosed and accommodated around a dozen pedal boats. Within ten minutes I was throwing up over the side because of the swell caused by the frantic pedalling of the other kids. 
Still, I can dream, and it seemed automatic that I should visit the Tall Ships’ Races for a couple of days seeing the event was coming to England’s North West.
It was a fitting choice for Liverpool to have been chosen to host this important and popular occasion, the city having been honoured with the title of European Capital of Culture 2008. For me the Tall Ships’ Races experience was the highlight in Liverpool’s fascinating and imaginative calendar of events for 2008. This is the third time (in over 50 years’ existence) that the Tall Ships’ Races have been hosted by the city.
Liverpool’s maritime activities stretch back over 800 years and the city has always been at the forefront in maritime trade development and historical seagoing affairs – from shipbuilding, mercantile business, infamous slave dealing and mass emigration to the US and commonwealth countries. Just one major reminder – and there’s lots of them - of its glory days as a major port is seen by the presence of the Cunard Building, which stands proudly alongside a waterfront that formerly accommodated large numbers of ocean-going liners.
There’s the new Cruise Liner Terminal these days and at its landing stage on Princes Parade was the Royal Navy’s supply ship RFA Lyme Bay. The Royal Marines’ Band was not only on board but was giving band concerts at various places around the town too. Prince Andrew came, informally, after Princess Anne had officially opened proceedings. With his naval experience he’d probably have enjoyed talking shop.
It was estimated that around a million visitors would attend the long weekend of events between the 18th and 21st of July but as I joined a queue on the 20th of July to get a closer look at the classes B, C and D ships (at Canning and Albert Docks) I felt sure the whole of the three adjoining counties had turned up, and then some. After that it was a footslog to view the Class A big boys at Wellington and Sandon Half-Tide Docks as the buses and trains were full.
The following day I made an earlier start, having had a preview of the event’s popularity. I walked through its sunny streets en route to Albert Dock in a throng of wall-to-wall visitors. Through the open windows of the old hostelries came the frantic, and oft-strangled, sounds of karaoke singers. Every so far along the pedestrianised streets were small groups of singers representing all four corners of the globe. Individuals playing guitars, sitars and bongos. Some sported native American headdresses, others wore ponchos and played panpipes and a few had instruments I’d never seen in my life before. As a whole they created a wonderful international atmosphere.
But when I arrived at the docks I could barely see the water for the seething mass clinging tenaciously to the barricades as they lined the entire River Mersey’s banks. With great difficulty, but mostly on account of being small enough to burrow - and kicking a few shins along the way - I got to the front.
Liverpool is well known for its humour, fun, music, and ability to embroider the truth with ripping good yarns. We’d all of that whilst waiting for what seemed like ever and ever for the Parade of Sail, the icing on the weekend’s cake.
The wait was more than worthwhile and with the excitement at its peak the 70 beauties, led by HMS Argyll and followed by the Stavros S Niarchos, began to glide silently by at five minute intervals, accompanied by an interesting and factual commentary that told us all we needed to know about the vessels, the crews and the races.
Music is in the blood of Liverpool more than any other city: it started a long time ago with the creation of the sea shanty, The organisers of the Tall Ships’ Races made sure the genre was fully represented by “Shanties 08”, a non profit-making organisation. It sounded fantastic being played along the docks as we all savoured the glorious images that were gliding silently and proudly by.
The races last for five weeks and the main objective is the sail training of youth, 48 of whom are being funded by Liverpool City Council. Another 48, who are sponsored by Tall Ships Youth Trust (Merseyside), helped sail the ships from London. Their involvement, as well as that of the officers and crews, is meant to foster good international relationships, friendships and understanding and to promote teamwork and leadership.
The “Parade of Sail”, is the traditional run-up to departure and this year the spectacular fleet of tall ships was unique in that it was the largest ever seen in British waters with 8,000 crew and trainees on board. It gave everyone a final chance to see each vessel (with representatives from countries as far apart as Bulgaria, Oman, Brazil and Mexico) in full splendour before the fleet left for a point off Northern Ireland where the first race of eleven days’ duration took place across the North Sea to Målǿy in Norway on the 23rd July.
Picturesque Målǿy would have seemed a quiet place after the buzz of Liverpool, for it is a tiny place with a backdrop of islands and mountains: its 4,000 inhabitants living around one of the smallest ports ever to have hosted the Tall Ships’ Races.
On the 12th of August began a “cruise-in-company” to Bergen in Norway along a route that covers the coast, and fjords which can stretch 100 miles in length. Highlights of this journey are glaciers, mountains and huge waterfalls too. Several ports were to accommodate the ships and visitors, as well as provide them with free berthing and lots of activities for the crews.
Bergen has played host to the Tall Ships’ Races twice before. It is a city of museums and wooden houses that fan out over steep hillsides, from what is considered one of the world’s most beautiful natural harbours. A full programme of events is planned to occupy the time before the start of the second race which takes eight days for the fleet to arrive at Den Helder in the Netherlands. It is here, 80 km north of Amsterdam, that the final celebrations occur between the 20th and 23rd of the month.
Den Helder is linked by the North Holland Canal. Until the beginning of the 19th century it was a tiny village dependent on fishing which, along with textiles, is still the town’s main economy. It is also the prime seaport for offshore sailing. There are several monuments of a maritime nature and the naval fortifications go back to Napoleonic times. Of note is its lighthouse which is made of cast-iron and carries the distinction of being the tallest in Europe.
The closure of the races and prize-giving ceremonies will see not only the award of the symbolic Friendship Trophy, but will have given the participants memories they can treasure for ever and a real sense of achievement, as well as having fostered excellent international relationships – which is what the races are all about.
