Tall ships racing on the Tyne

It’s been 20 years since the Tall Ships Race last visited the River Tyne, writes nostalgia editor DAVID MORTON

- 

IT’S 20 years since the Tall Ships Race last visited the Tyne, attracting one million sightseers and boosting the region’s economy by an estimated £50 million in the process.

The spectacular maritime event - evoking the lost golden age of sail - has graced the river on three occasions. Firstly in 1986, when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was in attendance at the Quayside, then again in 1993, before returning for the last time, to date, in late July 2005.