Yesterday my friend Jim and l visited the Tall Ships berthed at Williamstown in Melbourne. The ships are on there way to Sydney to join 40 warships and 16 Tall Ships celebrating the centenary of the Royal Australian navy. It was a windy, blustery day but began well with morning tea of scones and jam at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria. We toured three ships: Europa, Tecla and Oosterschelde all from the Netherlands and all sailing around the world. The last time the Tall Ships visited Melbourne was in 1988!
I really enjoyed the visit, especially on board the Oosterschelde, a beautifully restored and elegant 3 masted top sail schooner. The Tecla, built in 1915 to work the north Sea fishing zones of herring, is currently owned by a family of professional sailors. A much smaller ship but kept as traditional as possible with a lovely intimate feel; l bought one of their T-shirts.
A great day.
Go here to see photos of the ships.