Falmouth Tall Ships 2023

FALMOUTH TALL SHIPS 2023 STARTED ON TUESDAY BUT, DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, ITS ‘PARADE OF SAIL’ WAS CANCELLED ON FRIDAY. PLUS THE BIG RACE START IS NOW ON SATURDAY AS SIMPLY A VIRTUAL ONE…

Falmouth is a haven for brilliant boats, awesome yachts and super ships at the best of times. But in August 2023, it’s home to a fleet of tall ships that should take your breath away.

Between Tuesday 15 and Friday 18 August 2023, Falmouth Tall Ships 2023 laid anchor in the south Cornish coastal town. It was the first time in nine years that Falmouth was due to host the start of the prestigious tall ships race, the Magellan Elcano 2023. It was a big moment for tall ship enthusiasts in the town who got to see these magnificent beasts.

Visitors did have the chance to board some of these historic tall ships for self-guided tours and to chat with volunteer liaison officers and the tall ships crews on hand at the A&P Falmouth Docks during the first three days leading up to the race start, which was scheduled for Friday 18 August 2023. But that race start was postponed due to the adverse weather conditions in Cornwall at the end of the week.

The ‘Parade of Sail’ that was also scheduled for Friday 18 August 2023 was cancelled. In the parade, the tall ships were due to slip anchor and sail around Falmouth Bay in company but the organisers took the tough decision to cancel it due to the ‘adverse and continually deteriorating’ weather conditions.

It was the sixth time that Falmouth has hosted the event, with the inaugural one for the town being held in 1966. It was postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. The last time the tall ships were in the town in 2014, more than 150,000 people caught a glimpse of the vessels.

The Tall Ships Races Magellan-Elcano 2023 was due to begin in Falmouth but there will now be a virtual race start at sea on Saturday 19 August 2023. The ships will then follow a course to A Coruna, where they will anchor between 24 and 27 August. Then it’s off to Lisbon between 31 August and 3 September ahead of the finish in Cadiz in southwestern Spain between 7 and 10 September 2023.

And if you’re looking for art, then local artist John Dyer has been named the official ‘artist-in-residence’ for the Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta 2023. He’s created limited and open-edition prints, mugs, phone cases and wall art posters for the occasion. Check his gallery website out for more at johndyergallery.com.