From 14 to 18 June, 27 tall ships moored on two kilometres of quays. A forest of masts and yards reminiscent of Bordeaux's prestigious past, when wine was shipped here to be delivered almost anywhere in the world.
The Hermione as a guest star
Among all these tall ships, the Hermione moored downriver to cast off as soon as the party opened.
Bordeaux was a stage in the busy programme since this winter: as part of her "Free together from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean" voyage, the replica of the La Fayette frigate visited La Rochelle, Tangier, Barcelona, Sète, Toulon, Marseille, Port-Vendres, Nice, Bastia, Portimao, Pasaia and thus Bordeaux, the last stop before returning to her home port early this Sunday morning, Rochefort.
A stopover for the Tall Ship Regatta
Among the tall ships, nine of them are participating in the Tall Ship Regatta. A small disappointment for the organizers of the event - they were expecting 30 competitors and therefore recruited other tall ships. The Tall Ship, which had been somewhat put off because of other races, nevertheless set sail from Liverpool on 25 May to make a stopover on the 1st of May er on 4 June in Dublin and ending in the Gironde estuary 10 days later.
Among these jewels of old-fashioned sailing, it was the smallest of them all, Arawak - 30 metres all the same - who came first, ahead of the Belem (58 metres) and even the 114-metre-long Russian school boat Kruzenshtern. This monster, like the Belem and the Belle Poule, had already moored in Bordeaux in 1990 for the Cutty Stark.
The Pen Duicks are in the party
The legendary racing yachts are also on display in Bordeaux as Pen Duick 2 and Pen Duick 6 are wisely moored at the foot of the Place de la Bourse, at the heart of the festival. It should be remembered that the 6 is preparing for a much more hectic programme: it is going to complete a round-the-world trip with Marie Tabarly, Eric's daughter. A fine tribute to the great skipper, who died just 20 years ago. It should be pointed out that many yachts offered visits - booked and paid for in the morning, free in the afternoon.
800,000 visitors expected!
Bordeaux fête le vin is expecting nearly a million visitors for this twentieth edition. Not so surprising when you know that the event is the largest oenological meeting in the world. 1,200 winegrowers and 80 appellations have responded to the call... Fireworks, concerts and entertainment ensure the atmosphere.
But it is indeed the tall ships that make the show on Monday 18 June, on the occasion of a big nautical parade. Supported by the nine Alpha Jets of the Patrouille de France, which will streak the sky in blue, white and red, shaving the bridges of the Garonne, the procession of tall ships taking to the sea will remain engraved in many retinas..
