Photo: London Tall Ships Festival

Living along the banks of the River Thames means that I spend much of my time on the river, taking the clipper boat, sitting in riverside pubs and watching the multitude of events that take place throughout the year – whether it be the incredible sight of a cruise ship arriving into London, fireworks over Canary Wharf and the city, the Tower Bridge raising to let ships pass or immense festivals such as the Tall Ships Festival.

This photo is from the latter – The Tall Ships Festival – and more precisely, the Parade of Sail, which is the grand finale to the fascinating week-long activities of the The Tall Ship Festival, which sees hundreds of ships sail the waters of the Thames.  The ship is the Dar Młodzieży (“The Gift of Youth”)  –  a Polish sail training ship designed by Zygmunt Choreń, which launched in November 1981 at the Gdańsk shipyard, Poland. The ship, Dar Młodzieży, was the first Polish-built, ocean-going sailing vessel to circumnavigate the globe (1987–88).

To see the Tall Ships Regatta for yourself head to the Thames around Greenwich on the finale day of the festival, and click here for more information.