MVS Supports Tall Ships 2023 in Hartlepool

The MVS has supported the Tall Ships event in Hartlepool which visited the town for the first time since 2010.

The Northumbria Unit provided six days of support to Hartlepool Marina for the event.
Tasks included assisting over thirty vessels through the lock system at the marina, then providing ‘follow-me’ boats to guide the ships to their allocated berth.
Many unit members took annual leave from work to attend the event and cover shifts from 3am in the morning to help the historic vessels safely move around the event area.

Tens of thousands of people visited the four-day spectacle to see the 34 ships of all sizes from all over the world.
The north east town was one of this year’s five host ports for the race which started in the Netherlands.
The town hosted a free four-day event to mark the occasion with live music and entertainment.

The festival came to a close with a parade of 40 ships sailing to Fredrikstad in Norway, with the MVS providing a vital role in assisting the vessels to leave the marina in a very short two-hour tidal window.
Almost a million people visited the event when it last came Hartlepool in 2010 and was said to have generated an estimated £16m for the local economy.