Dublin’s fair city welcomes a fleet of Tall Ships to their quaysides this weekend, following a fast and tactical race across the Irish Sea from Liverpool in the Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta 2018.
The largest vessels have lined Sir John Rogersons Quay on the south side of the River Liffy and smaller vessels have berthed in the Grand Canal Lock. And it hasn’t taken the crews and trainees long to start enjoying their shore leave and the craic which Dublin has laid on for them including traditional Irish sports and games.
Crews will be enjoying the unique and ancient sports of Gaelic football, hurling and Gaelic handball as well as learning to play the bodrán irish drum. Then they’ll be kayaking on the River Liffey through Dublin City and trying their hands at paddle boarding and windsurfing. And if that wasn’t enough they are invited to play a street game called Wayfinder Live.
Created by famous Australian artist, Troy Innocent, the game involves finding an imaginary city hidden around Dublin Docklands. Using a free mobile app crews will work as a team to find hidden codes use their smartphones to scan and unlock the story of the mysterious micro-nation Ludea. Find out more at http://ludea.net/wayfinderlive/ Twitter @urbancodefinders Instagram @wayfinder_live
The crews are also being treated to discounts on a range of other activities and museums; free wifi at great crew centre;laundry services and more! It’s a stay they are unlikely to ever forget.
A few facts about the fleet…
- Belle Poule (France) is the only military vessel in Dublin
- Atyla (Vanuatu), Lord Nelson (UK), Maybe (UK) and Morgenster (Netherlands) are all Sail Training Blue Flag vessels
- Six different nationalities are represented: France, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, UK and Vanuatu
- There are four Class A ships; seven Class B ships and four Class C ships
- The largest vessel is Belem (France) at 58 meters long
- The smallest vessel is Sir Stelios (UK) at 12.8 metres long
- This is Arawak and La Malouine’s first Tall Ships event
- Lord Nelson (UK) is one of only two ships in the world designed to be sailed by both able-bodied and physically disabled people side-by-side
- The oldest vessel is Belem at 122 years old
- The youngest vessel is Sir Stelios at just one year old
- Pelican is celebrating its 70th birthday this year
About the event
The public are invited to visit the ships that are open to the public between 12pm and 6pm throughout the weekend..
Dublin Docklands is fast becoming a must-see destination. From stunning architecture to historic buildings, from art galleries to river trips there is something for everyone. There are also a wide selection of places to eat and drink. For more information on what else to see and do in Dublin go to www.visitdublin.com
ABOUT THE THREE FESTIVALS TALL SHIPS REGATTA 2018
The Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta is a two-leg event across three sea areas in north-west Europe. Liverpool, United Kingdom (U.K.) was the start port for the race to Dublin, Republic of Ireland (R.O.I). They will race to Bordeaux, France leaving on Tuesday 5 June.
Any Tall Ships Regatta is a spectacular event for visitors and crew alike, and the Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta 2018 is no exception. Each stop on the regatta route coincides with major celebrations as Liverpool marks the ten year anniversary of their year as the European Capital of Culture and Bordeaux is holding its leading European wine festival, Bordeaux Fête le Vin.
The Regatta is age friendly and accessible to all as it offers the opportunity to participate to a wide age demographic and there are also ships specially designed to facilitate various levels of physical ability