#tallships – Strong, unseasonal winds of 40mph are propelling the 43 strong fleet in The Tall Ships Races 2012 towards the finishing line ahead of schedule. The race start was delayed because of the strength of the winds, nonetheless the South Westerly gales mean that a race winner will reach the finishing line off the Tuskar Rock some time later tonight.
Currently "Cuauhtemoc" the 1982 Mexican naval vessel ship, that is over 290ft in length, leads the fleet and passed Lands End off the coast of Cornwall earlier today with some 129 miles to run. It is estimated that the first ship could reach Dublin Port this weekend, however, the final vessels are still 3 to 4 days from Dublin.
The full fleet of 40 plus Tall Ships will not all reach Dublin Port until Thursday morning, 23rd of August when The Tall Ships Races 2012 - Dublin Festival will commence.
Preparations are underway for the festival which will run for four days from Thursday the 23rd of August to Sunday 26th and promises to be the biggest free family fun festival in Ireland this year.
Mary Weir, Project Manager for Tall Ships Races 2012 - Dublin commented, "We are looking forward to welcoming The Tall Ships Fleet and are delighted that the race is ahead of schedule. We have arranged an amazing programme of events with the focus on free fun for all the family. The festival will open to the public at 10.00am on Thursday, 23rd of August. Dublin's Docklands have been transformed since the last race and is now very accessible with new Luas Line, two new bridges and the Port Tunnel. Our strong advice is to use public transport next week. We will be announcing the details of the event, transport and access arrangements on Monday, 20th August with our colleagues in Dublin Port and an Garda Síochána. We hope to make this event the biggest outdoor event in Ireland this year."
The Tall Ships Races 2012-Dublin Festival will include some 55 Music Acts including the Undertones, Ryan Sheridan, Gerry Fish, Ash and Scullion at The Bulmers Live Music Dock at George's Dock, over 100 performance acts from trapeze artists to wake boarding to food demonstrations at The Theatre of Food in Linear Park on the North Side of the Quays. Grand Canal Dock will play host to the imaginative Out of The Blue Family Zone while Hanover Quay will come alive with skateboarding, parkour, beatboxing and music with the spectacular Kings of Concrete. Visitors can also try their hand at cable kayaking, pedalo boats, wakeboarding and crazy golf on a pontoon at Grand Canal Dock with Waterways Ireland and Surf Dock.
The Festival Hub at CHQ will welcome guests who are seeking a more chilled out adventure with a beautiful black and white photography exhibition from the Dublin Docklands Preservation Society, a range of workshops including a yoga workshop, upcycling workshops, a mini comic workshop and a striking viking exhibition in the vaults at CHQ and much more. The quays both North and South will overflow with street performances, food and craft markets, walking literary tours and a funfair. As the sun sets on Dublin City the festival will continue with the Glow evening programme which will include a floating cinema on a barge with showings of Jaws, The Life Aquatic and Planet Ocean along with music, street performances and dusk walking tours.
