Tall Ships Aberdeen: Crews say fond farewell to Granite City
The long weekend of celebrations in Aberdeen included a display by the Red Arrows on Monday night. Thousands of people witnessed the mid-air spectacular, despite some views being clouded by fog.
However the sun came out for the final day, as visitors returned to wave the ships off.There were cries of "Bon Voyage" and "hip hip hooray" from the crowds.
The races are designed to encourage international friendship and training for young people.Many new crew members joined the boats for the next leg of the Tall Ships races over to Norway.Among them were Aberdeen girls Mya , Katherine, Mia, who are all 15, and 16-year-old Freya.They are on board the Netherlands tall ship Eendracht for nine days, with mentor Toby Maddams from Peterhead."I'm really looking forward to sailing for the first time," Mya told BBC Scotland News on the deck, before departing."It's a really good new experience."Freya said: "I am looking forward to going to Norway with my new friends, it should be fun. This is my first time sailing. Everyone has been so nice on the boat."I'm nervous about sleeping, and sea-sickness."They joked that mentor Toby would be their "boat mum".
'It has been awe-inspiring'
Adrian Watson from Aberdeen Inspired - a business organisation which promotes investment in the city centre - said the Tall Ships event had exceeded all expectations."To see hundreds of thousands descend upon our wonderful city has been so impressive ," he told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland."We feel confident that we will be on or around 400,000-plus."It has been awe-inspiring, and it's meant so much to the people of Aberdeen."
He said the major Union Square shopping centre had broken its footfall records at the weekend.The footfall numbers on Saturday were 78,685 and on Sunday it was 61,682."Most large towns and cities are going through a very difficult time - this has been such a success," Mr Watson said."We'd be very keen to see them come back."
Deacon Blue had kicked off the event on Friday night with a harbourside gig.The main Tall Ships event then opened to the public on Saturday morning, followed a Ministry of Sound classical concert in the evening.Sunday saw crews parade through the streets, and Monday featured a Kaiser Chiefs gig at night.
Tall Ships Aberdeen was billed as Europe's largest free family event, with almost 50 ships taking part.About 2,000 international crew members attended from as far afield as Uruguay and Oman.Aberdeen had previously hosted the prestigious event in 1991 and 1997.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- The Guardian
Drayton and Mackenzie by Alexander Starritt review – a warmly comic saga of male friendship
Scottish-German author Alexander Starritt's debut, The Beast, followed a tabloid journalist; his second novel, We Germans, was about a Nazi. His new book gets us rooting for two wealthy management consultants fresh out of Oxford, both of them men (assuming you haven't already tuned out). I suspect his agent might have found it easier to pitch a novel about sex criminals, not least because Drayton and Mackenzie's approach is so unfashionably traditionalist: it's a chunky, warmly observed, 9/11-to-Covid saga that, while comic in tone and often extremely funny, doesn't labour under any obligation to send up its protagonists, still less take them down. James Drayton, born to north London academics, is a socially awkward high achiever who privately measures himself against Christopher Columbus and Napoleon. Joining the McKinsey consultancy firm after coming top of his year in philosophy, politics and economics hasn't eased the pressure he has always felt to 'come up with something so brilliant it was irrefutable, like the obliterating ultra-white light of a nuclear bomb'. The key to his sense of destiny arrives in the unlikely shape of a slacking junior colleague, Roland Mackenzie, who graduated with a 2:2 in physics (for James, a shame akin to 'admitting erectile dysfunction'). Mutual suspicion thaws when they're tasked with restructuring an Aberdeen oil firm in possession of the patents for a pioneering underwater turbine – tempting James and Roland to poach their star engineer, quit McKinsey and go it alone in green energy. It's a mark of Starritt's confidence that the quest to harness tidal power – the book's main business – gets going only 200 pages in. We feel in safe hands from the start, reassured that he knows the story's every last turn ('In later years, when he was the subject of articles and interviews …' begins a line about James on the second page, his A-levels barely over). But we're kept on our toes: while the narration hews to the point of view of the central duo, it fills in the period backdrop – bailouts, Brexit – by dipping unpredictably into the perspective of real-life figures such as the Italian politician and former president of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi, seen delivering his famous 2012 speech vowing to save the euro 'whatever it takes'. As James and Roland jet around the world for venture capital, Starritt grants hefty speaking parts to PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and Elon Musk (is he allowed to do that?, I asked myself: always a sign of a writer up to something exciting). The plot is crammed with curveballs for the plucky entrepreneurs, whether it's a shattered undersea cable, a coma caused by undiagnosed diabetes, or the dilemma that ensues when James and Roland fall for the same woman, having spent much of the novel joking uneasily about going to bed with each other. With a joyful knack for pithy analogy, the writing holds our attention as much as the events: the aforementioned relationship wrangle induces a 'low eczemal itch of guilt' in the eventual girlfriend-stealer, while new parents drive home from the maternity ward feeling 'like random civilians handed suits and guns and told to protect a miniature, defenceless president'. There's pathos as well as laughter in the protagonists' beer-and-Champions League blokeishness, a way to keep unvoiced feeling at bay. When Roland, nearly 30, wistfully recalls a teenage holiday fling, he thinks that 'she was probably someone's mum by now', a line hinting at his deep-lying sense of stasis, even as the company's ambition grows: not just electricity, but rocket fuel. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion Because it concentrates on personalities rather than systems or ideas – not unlike Richard T Kelly's 2023 North Sea oil novel, The Black Eden – Drayton and Mackenzie probably won't be called 'cli-fi' in the way that the novels of Richard Powers are, but it's a reminder that science fiction isn't the only game in town in terms of writing about the environment and technology. Yet while there's no shortage of chat about electrolysers and optimal blade rotation, Starritt keeps his focus on the human story of invention: dangling quietly over the action is the fact that James, lauded as a visionary, relies mostly for his ideas on other people. In the end, though, critique of disruptor-era genius is less important here than feeling and friendship; the winningly Edwardian, even Victorian, approach to storytelling extends right to the heart-swelling deathbed climax. It might have been subtitled A Love Story. Drayton and Mackenzie by Alexander Starritt is published by Swift (£16.99). To support the Guardian buy a copy at Delivery charges may apply.
Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Ibiza Rocks hotel where three Brits died still selling party tickets despite suspension
The Ibiza Ricks resort has seen four people die in tragic accidents while staying at the hotel in recent months, with multiple Brits dying in balcony falls The Ibiza hotel where two Brits tragically lost their lives in separate incidents is still flogging party tickets, despite claims they were suspending these events in light of the repeated deadly balcony falls in recent months. Evan Thomson, from Aberdeen, sadly died after falling from his Ibiza Rocks hotel balcony on Monday, July 7. The 26-year-old sadly fell from the sixth floor while away celebrating his birthday. Just a fortnight later, Gary Kelly, a 19-year-old from Dundee, suffered a fatal fall from the third floor of the same establishment just past midnight. These twin tragedies followed two other at the Ibiza Rocks resort, including a 33-year-old British woman who died on April 30, and a female Italian tourist, 19, who fell from a balcony just three days earlier. In the wake of these heartbreaking events, Ibiza Rocks had declared a suspension of all festivities. The hotel expressed its sorrow with the words: "We are deeply shocked and devastated by the recent incidents that have tragically occurred." They continued: "Our priority is to support those affected and their loved ones during this incredibly difficult time, and to fully assist the authorities with their investigations. "The safety and wellbeing of our guests has, and always will remain, our highest priority. Given the seriousness of the situation and out of respect for those involved, we believe it is right to pause our advertised events programme at this time." Yet, despite these assurances, tickets for upcoming events, including this Saturday's LoveJuice Ibiza Day Party, are still up for grabs online. Ibiza Rocks is asking punters to pay £17.35 for standard entry and £26 for a Daylife pass, which includes a food and drink voucher. The hotel is gearing up for its RandB Affair Day Party this Sunday, tipped to be the island's most epic RandB bash, with entry fees matching those of the previous day's festivities. Dizzee Rascal was scheduled to play at the hotel yesterday as part of the venue's '20th birthday celebrations' but that was postponed. However, Rudimental are still set to perform on July 30 for the anniversary, with tickets still available to purchase online. In the wake of Evan's tragic passing, his family and friends have raised serious concerns about the hotel's safety measures, criticising the establishment's handling of the incident. Evan's mate Blair Robertson blasted the hotel for their eagerness to 'get things back to normal' after the tragedy, reports the Daily Record. He recounted: "Security took us away to front desk. Paramedics didn't arrive for about 30 minutes. Forensic officers didn't speak English. We were just standing there, not knowing what was going on. Reception gave us false hope. "We heard the jet washes cleaning the ground where Evan died. That was the worst thing for us". Evan's sister Teila also called for 'higher safety precautions', stating: "Once it did happen, the hotel's response was just completely heartbreaking; almost as if it never happened. I pray no other family has to go through this." Following the recent fatalities, Ibiza Rocks shared a safety message on their social media, expressing that their thoughts 'remained with the families' of Evan and Gary. They wrote: "The tragic incidents of the past few weeks have deeply affected many. We continue to work closely with the authorities, and our thoughts and support remain with everyone impacted. "Much of the hard work that goes into safety and security in hotels and venues across the world happens behind the scenes. With thousands of guests passing through our doors every summer, it takes a collective effort from our team, security and local partners to maximise safety for all. "In times like these, care matters - but so does action. We have zero tolerance for any behaviour that puts our guests or our team at risk and we are building on the strong work we already do to go even further. "Out of respect and privacy for the people involved, we don't usually comment on individual reports posted online, but that certainly doesn't mean we're not always listening. We're committed to working with anyone who raises solid concerns so that we can establish the facts and take the appropriate steps. "Our hotel remains open and more information on a future events programme will be shared as soon as possible." On the topic of balcony safety, the hotel added: "Balcony safety is something we take very seriously, and our hotel meets all the applicable building regulations. "Alongside that, we're introducing further safety measures and working to raise more guest awareness to help encourage responsible use and keep everyone safe."
The Independent
20 hours ago
- The Independent
Cruise giant offers cash incentive to address overtourism
Norwegian cruise company Hurtigruten has introduced an "Open Village" initiative to address overtourism by offering sailings to smaller, remote villages. The programme aims to immerse visitors in the everyday life of three coastal villages: Træna, Bessaker, and Sæbø. Hurtigruten will contribute 250 Norwegian Krone, approximately £18, per guest directly to each community visited. These excursions are available on the company's smaller Signature Line Voyages during the summer period between May and September. The initiative seeks to provide a more meaningful travel experience while supporting local businesses and residents in small communities.
