Tall ships fleet in Mersey parade
21 July 2008 - 14:32
Liverpool's Tall Ships Festival has come to an end with a spectacular parade along the River Mersey, as the 60 vessels embark on a five-week race.
HMS Argyll, a Royal Navy frigate, led the Parade of Sail, which got under way after the ships gathered at Otterspool Promenade at 1400 BST.
Almost 500,000 people visited the ships while they were docked in Liverpool.
On Wednesday, the vessels will assemble off the coast of Northern Ireland for the first race leg to Maloy, Norway.
After Maloy, the ships will head to Bergen, also in Norway, for the second leg of the race to Den Helder in Holland.
Extra trains
Ships from more than 18 countries, including Brazil, Poland, Oman and Germany, have been at the Albert and Wellington docks.
Crowds gathered on the Wirral to watch the ships pass, with Birkenhead, Wallasey and New Brighton popular vantage points.
Extra trains will be running on the New Brighton line from 1500 BST to 1900 BST for people who want to watch the parade from the Wirral side of the River Mersey.
Operator Merseytravel said ferry services across the Mersey had been cancelled from 1050 BST to 1755 BST because of the parade.
