Heaving in Gloucester docks

I promised you Tall Ships. That was my first mistake. The last time I went to the Tall Ships festival at Gloucester docks, the year was 2007, the annus horribilis of the floods in Gloucester and Tewkesbury, and subsequent damage to property and livelihoods. Many people were left homeless, and major towns and cities had their water supply cut off for two weeks. To cheer people up, the council organised a Tall Ships festival for the October half-term weekend. The Victorian Docks were being regenerated, and there was room for a party. I remember climbing aboard ships, and how good they looked at twilight, when lit up, and how musicians from local schools played chamber music aboard the ships in the gathering gloom. I may even have pictures somewhere. There was the odd hot dog stand or fudge stand, but the event was fairly low key, though memorable for the ships and the dusk entertainments.

However, in 2013 ... it's a warm bank holiday weekend AND half term; four coaches are dropping off hordes of people outside the Gloucester Quays outlet shopping centre and they're ALL heading for the docks! The world and his wife are there; there's live music; a double decker bus doubling as a bar; food stalls; marching bands; period costumed re-enactors, and above all, massive queues to board the boats or even cross a bridge at the lock!

And so we dutifully took photos, and escaped to Alney Island nature reserve, where we watched the river flow by in tranquility ... more later, I must go out again now.

This is the Phoenix in the foreground, with the Matthew behind. More about these ships here.