It’s certainly not a secret that here at Secret Londonwe’re partial to a bit of transport talk. But whilst we’re usually over here waxing lyrical about trains, tubes, bikes and buses; today we’re pushing the boat out. Well, we’re not. But somebody is.
Marking the triumphant finale of a 43,000 nautical-mile odyssey; a magnificent Dutch tall ship will be sailing into Tower Bridge Quay today. The Oosterschelde has spent the last two years sailing the globe on the DARWIN200 voyage. The rather colossal journey saw this beautifully-restored ship transform into a floating classroom that retraced Charles Darwin’s historic ports of calltraining over 100 next-generation leaders as it did so.
Over 600 guest crew members were on board, alongside 105 young environmental ‘Darwin Leaders‘ from across 45 different countries. Together with various scientists, NGOs and filmmakers; the team have safeguarded more than 100 vulnerable species and ecosystems over the past two years. They also shared weekly live science broadcasts with tens of thousands of school children.
The enormous expedition was inspired Charles Darwin’s journey aboard the HMS Beagle. It’s managed to reignite public interest in Darwin’s legacy, whist being a pivotal catalyst for urgent action across the world. The oh-so impressive Oosterschelde is the largest historic sailing ship ever restored in the Netherlands, spanning 50 metres in length and boasting a 36 metre mast. The vessel has journeyed from England to Australia and back again in the last two years, stopping at more than 55 countries across 5 continents on route.
London will now play host to the sensational ship’s final and most symbolic chapter. The vessel arrives at Tower Bridge Quay on July 24where Londoners can reflect on what it has achieved, admire its historical beauty and snap some pictures of it perched in front of London’s iconic skyline.
On July 28, some lucky Londoners will even have the chance to hop aboard and have a nosey around the historic ship and learn more about the hefty project that it has just undertaken. A striking sculpture by Daniela Raytchev will also be on display onboard. All of Me is made entirely from ocean plastic collected during the voyage, serving as yet another powerful and thought-provoking message about our environment.
The Oosterschelde will be docked at Tower Bridge Quay, River Thames, St Katherine’s Way, E1W 1LD. Find out more about how to see it here.
