Someone will tell me if I’m dreaming, but the last time the Tall Ships came to Aberdeen I had a really wonderful experience.
I mean a specific personal memory of the occasion,
It was almost 30 years ago, so please allow me some leeway as I explore the mists of time.
As I recall it, my wife and I were meandering through Regent Quay early one evening, along with the rest of a teeming throng drawn to this wonderful event from all over the UK and overseas,
Live music was belting out from a freight building which had been turned into a quayside concert venue for this awe-inspiring celebration of the seas.
It sounded familiar; surely not them?
Yes, it was.
A few more steps as our pace quickened and, lo and behold, there they were: folk-rock legends Lindisfarne were performing in all their glory.
Sadly, minus their inspirational leader Alan Hull, who died ridiculously early at the age of 50 about 18 months earlier.
The “Fog on the Tyne” outfit was bringing sunshine to the sea, and the Dee.
These images drifted into my mind while reading a Press and Journal exclusive about big-name bands including Kaiser Chiefs headlining this summer when the Tall Ships Races return to Aberdeen for the first time since those heady days of 1997.
What I’m not dreaming about is the stunning impact they had on the city nearly three decades ago.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors along with millions of pounds for the regional economy poured in.
Last time the Tall Ships came to Aberdeen I had a really wonderful experience
It really was a big deal, which put Aberdeen on the world map as credible hosts of such a major event attracting global attention.
Luckily, as I write, those excellent people at Tall Ships Aberdeen confirmed I wasn’t dreaming about Lindisfarne’s two shows.
So I tracked down Lindisfarne founding member Rod Clements, who won a prestigious Novello song award for “Meet Me on the Corner”.
“I remember the gigs very well for the wonderful atmosphere, the striking Aberdeen harbour setting and beautiful Tall Ships,” Rod told me.
“We were fascinated by a fellow act called Mr Squirty, who sprayed water everywhere. I stood with ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris watching cadets going up the rigging…very impressive.”
The feelgood factor in the city was a joy to behold, so it’s something we can savour again this July when the Tall Ships sail in.
It’s as though these sleek, elegant “Rolls Royces” of the sail-era are returning to their spiritual home in Aberdeen.
After all, they owe much to the brilliance and vision of 19th century shipping magnate George Thompson, who founded the global Aberdeen Line.
For his innovative classic ship designs which spread throughout the sailing industry; a romantic era of tea clippers racing each other around the world.
I don’t have a strong maritime connection although I do live near the sea.
Other than a great-uncle who was a Royal Navy officer; he left in mysterious circumstances after a silly misunderstanding over expenses.
And my dad’s brother, a wartime ship’s gunner, claimed he helped sink the Bismarck.
I don’t think they count, but the whiff of the sea and the sound of sails and flags flapping on the breeze stir the island heritage in most of us.
You can’t help but fall in love with this.
It’s the perfect antidote to a world drowning in doom.
Tall Ships could be in choppy waters driven by Aberdeen City Council
Closer to home, the Tall Ships could sail unwittingly into choppy waters driven by domestic issues possessing Aberdeen council right now.
Tall Ships visitors carried away on a wave of emotion might not notice anything, of course – unless the bins are overflowing, that is.
Unions representing council workers are threatening strikes over cuts to pay and hours.
Surely a compromise can be reached to avoid such a paralysing prospect spoiling the Tall Ships event?
It’s ironic that a time when millions are generated from this, the council is being dragged into court by businesses who accuse it of killing city-centre trade with an ill-judged bus-gates experiment gone wrong.
Of course, I’ll be accused of being an “Abermoaner” again, but “Aberealist” more like.
Like any city, various issues will still be casting a cloud above Aberdeen after the Tall Ships disappear over the horizon; it’s never plain sailing.
Look at Dunkirk in France, for example (from where the crews set sail for Aberdeen): it’s beset by human-rights issues about secret migrant camps.
But it’s important to embrace the occasion for the positivity and joy it brings, and make the most of that while hoping these local issues can be resolved amicably.
It would be nice to have a lasting memory of Tall Ships with some fresh Nuart creations on city buildings.
I had already suggested similar artwork celebrating Aberdeen’s oil industry at major highways into the city, but I’ve not heard back.
David Knight is the long-serving former deputy editor of The Press and Journal
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