Thousands flocked to banks of River Tyne as the golden age of sail returned
THE arrival on the Tyne late last month of the spectacular sailing ship, the Galeon Andalucia, created plenty of interest and sparked memories of when the Tall Ships Race visited the river.
The nautical extravaganza first graced the Tyne in 1986, then again in 1993, before returning for the last time in 2005.
On each occasion, as befits a region with a long, proud seafaring heritage, the people of the North East took the event to their hearts as the golden age of sail returned – albeit temporarily.
Two days into the four-day spectacle during the first visit in July 1986, the Chronicle reported: “Visitors to the Tall Ships fleet moored along Newcastle Quayside topped the 750,000 mark last night as the region’s sea fever showed no sign of abating. Race organisers are predicting up to 1.5 million people will have thronged the Quayside by the time the extravaganza ends.”
The event even received a Royal seal of approval with the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II on her first visit to the region in four years.
Back in 1986, the full title of the event was the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race. It had run annually since 1956, consisting of two races over hundreds of nautical miles in European waters, with more than half of participating crews made up of young people.
In July 1993, the spectacle returned, with tens of thousands of people once again flocking to the Quayside.
The last visit of the Tall Ships came in July 2005 (although the event would take place in Blyth, Hartlepool and Sunderland in later years). The Chronicle reported: “Teeming crowds flocked to the first full day of the Tall Ships festival. Thousands lined both banks of the Tyne, eager to catch a sight of the giant craft.”
Hosting the event cost £1.5m, but an estimated £50m was generated for the region’s economy.