Ipswich Waterfront is transformed with a colourful display of boats, barges and visiting vessels

As part of the Maritime Ipswich Festival, several visiting vessels will arrive to join in the celebrations. Make your way on Friday to Ipswich Waterfront during the weekend of 15th and 16th August and see a spectacular display of vessels moored on Orwell Quay.

Confirmed attendees to date are

  • VIC 96 one of the last remaining steamships, fuelled by coal and built as part of the war to supply both the Naval dockyards and the Fleet
  • MT Kent, built in Lowestoft in 1948 and is the ‘oldest and finest working tug’ which is well known on the East Coast
  • Touchstone a tug built in 1963 and a regular at events
  • [possibly Pioneer an 1864, 70 foot smack previously used for dredging oysters in the North Sea;]
  • Thames Barge Neljan a 92ft barge immaculately restored in 1989 and will be used by the Blue Bus Tour as a Music Stage for the event
  • Centaur a 61 ton wooden 86 foot barge built in 1895 and a favourite at festivals
  • Pudge the 1922 wooden 84 foot barge
  • Melissa the 80 foot barge built in 1899
  • Thalatta a wooden 67 ton barge built in 1906

Public access to some of these boats will be encouraged and tours will be offered to visitors attending on the Saturday and Sunday.

Contemporary boats will be displayed on the Island Site at Burton Waters which members of the public will be able to visit. Fifty ‘Old Gaffers’ (fitted with gaff sailing rigs) will be in attendance and providing water activities on the Sunday for their members. Click here for more details.

In addition, there will be the Nancy Blackett (the favourite yacht of Arthur Ransome who wrote the Swallows and Amazon series) alongside James Stevens No.14 (the Walton & Frinton Lifeboat) and Laura Moncur Watson 46 lifeboat.

Be inspired - follow the links below to check out what else is happening as part of Maritime Ipswich 2015 or click here to download the official leaflet listing the full programme of activities.

Maritime Ipswich is an event which is organised by Ipswich Borough Council, working in partnership with local businesses, ABP, UCS, Ipswich Maritime Trust, Ipswich Waterfront Action, theOld Gaffers Association and Ipswich Central.