Wine, wind and water meet for five days of celebrations in beautiful Bordeaux now the international fleet of the Tall Ships have arrived.
The quays of the Garonne River, in the heart of this UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bordeaux is the venue for the final port of the Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta and the popular, biennial event, Bordeaux Fete le Vin.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year’s festival celebrates its heritage, wine and maritime relationship with the sea. And crews , trainees and visitors have a lot of treats in store.
About the event….
Of-course there is wine – a lot of wine.
Crews will be joining tens of thousands of visitors strolling through eleven wine pavilions with a tasting pass and wine glass, meeting winegrowers from the region and sampling wines along the way. More than 80 wine appellations will be available in temporary wine bars from big names to little-known producers, from sweet white wines to light, balanced reds, from sparkling cremants to big, full bodied reds, roses and dry white wines. The wine is accompanied by a series of gourmet pavilions and refreshment stalls. Spread along the quays are a broad range of quality local farm products, traditional dishes and experimental, culinary fusion creations.
Every night at 23.30 there is a spectacular fireworks display in front of the Miroir d’eau – a pool designed by landscape artists Michel Corajoud which has a mirror effect and water mist.
Crew activities…
As well as a crew centre, guided tours have been arranged around the historic heart of the city, as well as visits to museums, basketball and handball sports, access to a gym, crew parade and final Regatta prize giving ceremony.
About the ships
Thirty Tall Ships are docked along the quays – some raced from Liverpool and Dublin as part of the Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta 2018, others have made a special voyage from French and European ports for this special reunion.
- Ten class As, 20 class Bs and eight C and D vessels are in Bordeaux
- Nine different nationalities of vessel are represented in Bordeaux
- Belle Poule (France) was the only vessel who raced in the Regatta
- Atyla (Vanuatu), Morgenster (Netherlands) and Vera Cruz (Portugal) are Sail Training Blue Flag vessels which means they have signed a pledge to protect the oceans they sail on
- The largest vessel is Kruzenshtern (Russia) at 114.5 metres long
- The oldest vessel is Mehalah (France), launched in 1888 and 130 years old
- Kaskelot (UK) is celebrating her 70th birthday
Visitors can tour the ships throughout the weekend, enjoy river tours and watch them all sail out of a Bordeaux in a spectacular Parade of Sail leaving at 11am on Monday 18 June.