Europe

I had first seen the Tall Ships when they came up the Tyne back in 1986. Despite the dull and cool weather, the crowds came out to see them and join in the buzz along the quayside, culminating in a visit by The Queen. The Friday night provided the best fireworks display I had ever seen.  Although more common now, it was the kind of aerial display only seen on films.

Tall Ships on Tyne

My dad and me had a great view from near HMS Calliope and braving the crush of the crowds was all part of the experience. The next day the fleet left the Tyne in dribs and drabs and I followed it with my camera from a well chosen point in Bill Quay to South Shields using the Metro.

Several years later, with such exciting memories still fresh, but now with a wife and couple of babies and living in Cardiff, it was an experience that had to be repeated when the Tall Ships visited Milford Haven. 

Unfortunately it was a pale shadow of their visit to the Tyne, so when my mother rang in July 2005 to say that the Tall Ships were coming back to the Tyne in a week’s time, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t afford to miss. The message on the BBC website was the final encouragement I needed, with what looked like an emergency appeal to get all Geordies home for the event. 

Answering the call

The call had to be obeyed. Both my family and the office would have to fall in line with the mesmeric demands of the homing call. Not even the cat’s forthcoming planned dental operation could interfere with my sudden desire to drop everything and drive over 300 miles each way in the middle of the working week.

With the cat still meowing in the back of the car, we arrived in Felling at my mother's house on Tuesday afternoon, and then jumped on a bus to get to the action. Although the environment was transformed since 1986, one thing had not changed – the buzz of Tyneside crowds, now milling about on both sides of the river and shuffling endlessly to and fro across the Millennium Footbridge.

This was surely what the rejuvenated Gateshead and Newcastle Quayside was meant for – tens of thousands of souls rubbing shoulders while inspecting a fleet of a hundred vessels bringing with them crews from all over Europe, and indeed, the world.  

Although it was great to see the Tall Ships and their international crews on display, the best thing about the visit was the great crowd of people, of which we were part. It was this camera laden good-natured host that was the real star of the event. But it wasn’t an anonymous faceless mass – I managed to spot someone I hadn’t seen for over 20 years (yes Billy, that’s you if you’re reading this), and I wonder how many others I passed without recognising. 

Forest of masts on the Quayside

By the time the last firework had exploded on the Wednesday night, I can think of at least five pairs of feet that were beginning to feel the effects of the event. So me and my wife were the only ones of our family able to make it down to banks of the Tyne to see the 8am departure of the fleet back down the Tyne to the sea. The kids were sleeping it off and had probably seen enough tall ships to last them well into adulthood.

The worst of the rain that had been threatened held off for long enough to see most of the biggest ships pass by quietly except for the cheers of the crews, exchanged with those of the Bill Quay crowd. The smaller the craft, the louder the crew seemed to be the rule – particularly the Vikings from Scotland. 

As they headed out to sea into the rough weather, we started our six hour drive back to Cardiff, through a great belt of rain and storms.  And then it was back to work, just waiting for the slides to come back from the lab…..