Tall Ships Activities

Home > Hartlepool Tall Ships > Tall Ships Activities

Tweet

At centre stage will be the ships themselves with the larger class A and B vessels berthed in Victoria Harbour at PD Ports and the smaller ships of less than 8m beam berthed in Hartlepool Marina. Visitors will have the opportunity to walk along the quayside and take in the sights, sounds and smells of the magnificent vessels and their domineering sails and masts. They will be able to go on board ships, meet the Captains and crew, and in some cases, go out on the open sea for a day sail. A Tall Ships Village will link the two berthing sites and will have the buzz of international street theatre, music stages, exhibitions and food from around the world.

Activities and events will commence at 11am and run up until 11pm each day.

The main highlights of the Tall Ships events are:

Sunday 8th August:

Crew Parade:

A memorable marching display by representatives from every ship in the race, often in traditional costumes or even fancy-dress! Hundreds of parade participants will follow a route out of the Tall Ships Village, along Middleton Road before turning onto Marina Way to the Hartlepool’s Maritime Experience roundabout and then return and retrace the same route to the Tall Ships Village.

It is envisaged that the parade will be supplemented with lively music and street theatre making this a real spectacle for all ages to enjoy.

Prize-giving ceremony:

At 4pm on Sunday the 8^th August there will be the prize-giving ceremony to celebrate all the successful ships and their crews after the long and testing race.

The ships compete in four classes, based, generally, upon the size of the vessel. Ranked as classes A, B, C and D there is a prize to be awarded for the first, second and third placed ship in each category. There are also two further prizes for the following categories: ‘1^st across the finish line’ and ‘1^st to finish on corrected time’.

So, in total, there will be 14 prizes distributed to a captain and crew member from the winning ships, all in full view of the crowds in the Tall Ships Village as it takes place on the main stage!

Monday 9th August

Massive crowds are anticipated for the traditional ‘Eve of Sail’ celebrations. Expect every inch of the Tall Ships Village to be bustling with people, music and entertainment.

Traditionally the busiest evening of the four day celebration the night will be brought to a close by a planned pyrotechnic display quite like no other! The night skies of Hartlepool will light-up with displays from three distinct locations bringing the day to a close while the crew members settle to prepare themselves for the BIG day ahead.

Tuesday 10th August

Tuesday the 10^th August is the final day of The Tall Ships Races in Hartlepool. Visitors to previous Tall Ships Races will know this is the day that the fleet depart and perform a ‘Parade of Sail’. In 2010 this amazing spectacle will be known as ‘The Grand Farewell’ and the whole day will be focused on the ships and their crew preparing their vessels to head off to sea once more.

The whole operation will need to be timed to perfection, all vessels in Hartlepool Marina will have a window of approximately 2hrs over lunchtime to leave their berths and exit via the lock-gates. Timing is critical as the North Sea tide will wait for nobody!

Once the ships are clear from the marina the whole fleet will assemble approximately 1mile offshore to begin an unrivalled procession of spectacular ships. Starting to the South of Hartlepool close to Seaton Carew and the mouth of the River Tees each ship will be in full sail and in a pre-determined sequence to showcase the mighty fleet. The course the fleet will take is likely to head towards Hartlepool Marina, Hartlepool Headland and then further north towards Blackhall.

For visitors there are many excellent viewing points to witness this amazing sight, most of which are a short distance away from the Tall Ships Village – Seaton Carew and the Headland both offer what may be the best vantage points.

Wednesday 11th August

North Sea Tall Ships Regatta
Organised by Sail Training International

Hartlepool, UK:  7 - 10 August 2010 (in-port dates)

Race: 11 - 17 August

The final race of the year has been created to form a link between The Tall Ships Races and Sail Amsterdam. The race will start in Hartlepool and finish in Ijmuiden, Netherlands where ships will gather prior to the Parade of Sail into Amsterdam. The race will differ from other races run by Sail Training International in that the ships will be offered a number of waypoints around which they can navigate instead of going straight from the start to the finish. The race will be over a set period of time and the ship that has covered the greatest distance in the time allowed, with adjustments made for Time Correction Factors, will be the winner!