Liam Murphy with a personal view from Wirral of the Tall Ships’ departure

Liam Murphy with a personal view from Wirral of the Tall Ships’ departure

FROM Wirral, the Tall Ships' Parade of Sail was a truly spectacular sight, with thousands upon thousands lining the promenade from Seacombe to New Brighton.

The weather was kind and many found their own vantage points from the hundreds to choose from. Many settled on the steps from Wallasey Town Hall down to the promenade, enjoying the fine sight with the world-famous backdrop of the Three Graces of Liverpool waterfront.

Others found good views around Egremont Ferry, and at New Brighton the ships could be seen sailing out of sight towards Northern Ireland where they are due to gather ahead of the race to Norway. The blustery wind meant a number of the ships didn’t have their full sails out but they still made a fine sight.

Volunteer marshals – including Wirral Council leader Steve Foulkes – were on hand to help out and certainly helped make things run smoothly, with less of the traffic disruption many Wirral people remember from previous visits of the Tall Ships, in 1992 and 1984. From the roof of Wallasey Town Hall, where many media had gathered to enjoy the sight, the ships gradually came into view pretty much on schedule, around 2pm, having been a distant gathering of masts somewhere off Rock Ferry.

The air displays also caused many to catch their breath as the four planes weaved in and out of each other, although the sight of crew members standing up in the rigging of the ships waving or saluting to those on the promenade was a sight to behold.

But the most memorable part of the day for me was lifting my six-year-old daughter, Caitlin, up to get a better view of the ships and hearing her say “Wow, that’s so cool” – that summed it up, really.