The Tall Ships race is coming to Aberdeen in July 2025. I saw the notice about this the other day and it reminded me of a trip we took back in 2015 where we were actually lucky enough to sail on one of the Tall Ships for a couple of hours. 

I tend to get very seasick. I was telling Nick about how I’d managed to get a place on one of the Sail Training Association Tall Ships, the Malcolm Miller, when I was just 16 years old. It was a great accolade to be selected and was billed as being an exciting, adventurous expedition to develop young people. Well, I spent two full weeks bouncing around on the ocean throwing up all the time. Everyone told me that I would find my sea legs after a few days, but that never happened and I’ve never been able to get over the seasickness since. I’m not a great sailor. In fact, I’ve even been known to complain of feeling seasick on the Thames Clipper ferry service and have been known to throw up just thinking about going on a cross-channel ferry. So, I wasn’t quite sure it was going to be a good idea to go and see the Tall Ships when they were in the harbour at Greenwich, never mind sail on one up the Thames.

Greenwich obviously has a strong maritime tradition, being the home of the Royal Naval Academy. It is easy to get to with transport links by bus, underground and DLR, so it seemed too good an opportunity to miss.

It was a lovely, sunny, late summer evening when we went in late August 2015. The air had a sultry feel and it was one of those late summer evenings when the air is warm, the wind is calm, and you just want to be sitting outside with a cold drink. Just about perfect for Nick to take me sailing. 

We sailed on the Zephyr, a beautiful two-mast schooner with a Dutch crew. We were welcomed on board and shown around the ship before setting sail up the Thames. It was surprising how quickly the temperature dropped once we were on the water so we were pleased we’d brought warm fleeces and jackets to put on. Unfortunately, most of the other tourists were just in t-shirts and shorts so were rather cold and huddled down in the cabin rather than enjoying the sights of London from the deck.  

The ship majestically glided up river, the lights of the City of London guiding us towards them. Before long we could see the futuristic domed structures of the Thames Barrier, eerily protruding out of the water. The Thames has been known to flood since Roman times.  However, it was the more recent severe flood of 1953 that caused havoc all down the east coast of England that prompted the Government to consider a movable flood barrier that could be raised to close against tidal surges but opened again to allow shipping through and the Thames to flow out. The barrier was finally erected and became operational in 1982 and has been protecting London ever since. 

Next, we could see the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf with the tall sky scrapers of the heart of the banking district ahead of us. We also had glimpses of the O2 arena and the cable car over the Thames installed for the 2012 Olympics. That marked our turn around point and we then gently cruised back downstream.

By now, it was fully dark and on the way back we were treated to a fireworks show lighting up the ships’ sails and thundering across the sky as though the ships were involved in a fierce naval gunfire battle. It was quite something to watch, and I’m afraid the photos do not do it justice. 

As we gently floated back in to the docks at Greenwich under the serene night sky, I felt a bit queasy but had really enjoyed being back on board. You never know, I might get my sea legs at some point. 

So, if you get a chance to go and see the Tall Ships when they come to Aberdeen in 2025, it is well worth it, particularly if you get a chance to go on board any of them. Otherwise, look out for more occasions when they gather for a Tall Ships festival. They have also held these opportunities in Gloucester in the past. 

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