Ship ahoy! After taking some time out to enjoy last weekend’s Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival, it has been back to the day job this week. Despite a relatively wet and grey start to the weekend, it was great to see it soon brighten up. Over 30,000 people are estimated to have attended the event across the two days, with many taking the time to stop and speak to us.
On show was a flotilla of ships, which included:
- Earl of Pembroke
- Lydia Eva
- Esvagt Njord SOV
In addition to that we were also delighted that our friend, Mik Richardson, was able to once again join us and decorate one of our skips with images inspired by the incredible vessels on display. On day one he took on the challenge of painting the Earl of Pembroke – a 1945 tall ship which in recent years has featured in a number of films and TV series, including Hornblower and Treasure Island.
Day two saw him tackle something a little more 21st century – the newly built support vessel, Esvagt Njord SOV. Weighing in at an impressive 2,531 tonnes, it was difficult for any of us to miss this giant vessel. Officially named on the day before the festival got under way, the ship will provide support to the newly developed Dudgeon wind farm once it goes into operation next year. It was great to have a couple of members of the ships crew come along and see us.
Mik’s work quickly built up a crowd – including the Mayor of Great Yarmouth and his wife! We also had lots of children stopping to take a look, try out our very own remote controlled boat and meet our mermaid. Overall it was a brilliant weekend and it was great to be part of such a positive atmosphere.
You can see more of our images from the Maritime Festival by visiting our Facebook page – www.facebook.com/WTSkipHire.