Thousands of visitors came to visit the international Tall Ships fleet in Liverpool today (Saturday 26 May) and the ships crews enjoyed the wonderful Changing Tides entertainment programme, live music and the visit of the Bordeaux Fête le Vin (Bordeaux Wine Festival).
The world famous, colourful Tall Ships Crew Parade gave visitors the chance to meet all the crews – in uniform and fancy dress. It was a perfect reflection of the melting pot of cultures and styles seen throughout Tall Ships races and regattas. It also acted as a timely reminder of the International peace aims of the whole event.
The grand finale was the Crew Prize Giving ceremony, on the events Cunard Stage at the Pier Head, and in the evening all crew members were treated to an exclusive party with DJs and entertainment at Liverpool Town Hall. Lord Mayor, Christine Banks, Sail Training International Race Chairman, Ross MacDonald and Race Director, Paul Bishop, were on hand to present the prizes.
Race Director, Paul Bishop, made a special point to thank the City and Port of Liverpool for the warm welcome they have given the Tall Ships and highlighted the way in which the crews show this themselves by taking part in spectacular Crew Parade.
“The City and Port of Liverpool, all the volunteers and their sponsors have done a great job in hosting the fleet and I am sure that they appreciate the efforts that the crews have made in the Crew Parade which is a great way of thanking them.”
Sail Training International Race Director, Paul Bishop
Crew Prizes
MOST Spectacular Arrival
The vessel that made the most spectacular arrival into the River Mersey.
Morgenster (The Netherlands)
Best Dressed Ship
The best dressed ship in port.
Belle Poule (France)
Best Dressed In Crew Parade: Class A
Royalist (UK)
Best Dressed In Crew Parade: Class B/C/D
Atyla (Vanuatu)
Best Individual Performance in Crew Parade
Joel Baker – Maybe (UK)
Oldest Vessel
Belem (France)
Youngest Captain
Sail Training International’s main purpose is to facilitate sail training voyages for young people and one of its principle rules is that over 50% of the crew need to be under 26. The award for the youngest captain went to an inspiration young person of just 25, who clearly has a great future in sail training.
Amy Fletcher, 25 – City of London (UK)
Vessel that sailed greatest number of miles
The vessel that sailed the most sea miles to join the Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta 2018.
Juan de Langara (Spain)
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AWARD
All the vessels have warmly opened their decks to the public and welcomed them so on board. A ship that has been particularly helpful is awarded the public engagement prize.
Pelican of London (UK)
Environment Award
Protecting the marine environment is more important today than it ever has been with the immense levels of plastic pollution in all the world’s oceans today. The environmental award went to a vessel which has environmental stewardship education as part of their on board training.
Adventure Wales (Wales)
Social Media Award: Class A
An award presented to the vessel that helped to raise the most awareness of sail training in the lead up to Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta 2018 through their social media channels.
Lord Nelson (UK)
Social Media Award: Class B/C/D
An award presented to the vessel that helped to raise the most awareness of sail training in the lead up to Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta 2018 through their social media channels.
Atyla (Vanuatu)
Following the Prize Giving Ceremony, Sail Training International Race Chairman, Ross MacDonald, presented Lord Mayor, Christine Banks, with a commemorative plague to thank the City of Liverpool for such a warm welcome for the Tall Ships.
Follow the Fleet Live with YB Tracking
Once again, you will be able to follow the Tall Ships fleet as they make their way along the Regatta route thanks to the YB satellite tracking system. You can keep up to date with who is leading each race leg and ensure you miss none of the sailing action.
Each participating ship in the Regatta will be fitted with a YB satellite transponder, a self-contained battery operated tracker which allows tracking of a vessel’s position from anywhere on earth. All vessels taking part in the Regatta will be equipped with one so spectators can follow the fleet – anytime, anywhere – as they sail from Liverpool, UK, to Dublin, Ireland, and on to Bordeaux, France.
You can follow the action from the YB Tracking system here at Sail On Board. You will be able to see a wide range of race information including; route mapping, real time vessel positions and their historic tracking, vessel details, replay of vessel tracks over time, leaderboards per division/group and current weather conditions.
You can also download the YB Tracking app for your phone and tablet from the App Store and Google Play Store. You will find all the functionality of the web dashboards accessible on the go.
You can find instructions on how to use the YB Tracking system over on our YB Tracking page.