All Aboard gives taste of things to come

Jun 18 2007 by Jessica Shaughnessy, Liverpool Daily Post

All Aboard gives taste of things to come

NEARLY 30,000 people descended on Liverpool’s historic waterfront for a series of festivals this weekend.

Some of the world’s biggest tall ships made an appearance, the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade was celebrated and a record was broken as part of the two-day docks spectacle.

Eight tall ships – including the world’s largest, the Dar Mlodziezy – berthed at Wellington Dock, attracting more than 20,000 people across the two days.

Crowds were entertained by a country music stage on the dockside as a pirates’ costume competition was held as part of All Aboard, a preview for when the Mersey hosts the start of the Tall Ships Race in 2008.

Senior events organiser for the Liverpool Culture Company, Kirstie Blakeman, said: “We were expecting about 8,000 people over the whole weekend, but we had beaten that by the end of Saturday.

“People poured in, there was something for them all. The tall ships really captured the children’s imagination and the country music was a huge hit.”

Scores of people queued to tour the tall ships, which were open free to the public.

And many who turned up at Wellington Dock arrived just to hear the music, with country fans from as far afield as Canada soaking up the atmosphere.

Teams of rowers re-enacted the first- ever Mersey ferry crossing made by Benedictine monks 800 years ago – and one team made the crossing in a record 12 minutes.

Six teams from Liverpool Sea Cadets and the Liverpool Rowing Club set off from the Liverpool Marina on Queens Dock dressed in brown habits.

All of the four-berth rowing boats taking part made it across to the original priory in Birkenhead within 18 minutes, beating the previous fastest time of 24 minutes and 50 seconds.

The Culture Company’s maritime events co-ordinator Judith Feather said: “It was much further in those days, because the river went all the way out to the Merseyside Police headquarters.