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Restored boat joined Tall Ships event
IT wasn't just Tall Ships that brought the crowds to the region's coastline these past few days – it was old ones too.
Members of the South Shields-based North East Maritime Trust used the Tall Ships event as a perfect chance to get a restored boat on the water for the first time.
Trust director David Parker and a band of seafarers from the Wapping Street trust sailed the Royal Diadem II down the coast to Hartlepool for the event, which attracted more than half a million people over the first two days.
The Royal Diadem II was the first boat the trust has fully restored since it was launched in 2005, and was completed earlier this year.
The trust also took down the Favourite and Rachel Douglas from South Shields to Hartlepool Marina.
The trust has dozens of members, including enthusiasts from Hartlepool, and Dave said he was delighted with the response they have had from visitors.
The 61-year-old, from Whitburn, said: "The Tall Ships Races is a fantastic event and we have been really impressed so far.
"It is a huge site in Hartlepool, and with the amount of people it will certainly help raise our profile."
He added: "The aim of the trust is to restore and to promote maritime heritage, particularly wooden vessels.
"We are not just about restoring ships, but also teaching people about the history and lifestyle of people that sailed them."
The Royal Diadem II, which was a former sailing fishing coble, was built in Amble in 1947, and the Trust spent 9,400 of funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund restoring it.
Group members also go into schools and out around the community teaching people about the work they do and the history of the ships.
Dave added: "The journey to Hartlepool was quite choppy, but it was the ship's maiden voyage, so it was a proud moment for everyone involved."
The trust has about 60 members who meet on a regular basis.
Its next project is restoring the former Tynemouth RNLI boat Henry Frederick Swan, which was built in 1917.
Trust members are hoping to raise enough money through sponsorship and funding to restore the historic wooden vessel to its former glory.
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Weather for South Shields
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South
