Fond farewell to the Tall Ships as they parade out of Aberdeen to adoring crowds

Press and Journal

2 days ago

With the Tall Ships Races coming to an end in Aberdeen, crowds waved goodbye to dozens of ships as they set sail for Norway.
For the past four days, the Granite City has played host to Europe's largest free family event, bringing in record numbers of visitors.
Around 400,000 visits were made during the four-day event, which showcased sailing ships from different countries including Poland, Germany, Oman and Peru.
Aberdeen is just one of several stops on the race route, having last hosted the Tall Ships Races in 1997.
Around 50 tall ships were docked at the Port of Aberdeen, allowing visitors to marvel at them, while the crew explored what Aberdeen had to offer.
Amid cloudy conditions, crews untethered their ships and set sail – destined for their next stop in Kristiansand, Norway.
The Press and Journal was able to get up close and personal with the ships as they left via the media boat.
First tall ship to depart was the Morgenster, a Dutch ship built more than 100 years ago in 1919.
The media boat manoeuvred around the ship with the crew giving an enthusiastic wave as they headed out into Aberdeen Bay.
Following on were some of the smaller vessels including the Willawaw, Jolie Brise and the Rona II.
One of the larger ships to come to Aberdeen was the Christian Radich from Norway.
Meanwhile excited crowds had gathered at Fittie and Torry Battery to wave the ships off on their journey.
The ships leaving port were then joined by the TS Shtandart.
The ship was previously denied entry into Aberdeen, and eventually found itself off the coast of Buckie before again returning to Aberdeen to join the other tall ships.
In addition, the Aberdeen lifeboat was out as well as the smaller ribs to see off the ships.
One of the most popular ships, the Shabab Oman II, left port with crewmen stationed along the rigging ready to deploy the sails, as the wind at sea began to pick up.
Following on was the BAP Union of the Peruvian Navy, which got into a horn competition with the media boat.
Sailors were lined up on deck in their signature red and white uniforms for the next leg of the races.
One of the largest ships to berth at Aberdeen during the Tall Ships, it even featured a museum.
The BAP Union was quickly followed by the Alexander Von Humboldt II with its signature green sails and hull.
Heading back into port after almost four hours out among the ships, the Hnlms Urania startled many spectators at Fittie by letting off a pyrotechnic.
With dozens of ships leaving port, the horizon soon became littered with ships and sails.