The Tall Ships in Ramsgate Harbour at the Weekend and F1 UK headquarters at Manston Airport .

Update The Tall Ships, this will evidently not now be coming to Ramsgate tomorrow as they are sailing towards Amsterdam, see
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Drace%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bclassics%26safe%3Doff%26espv%3D210%26es_sm%3D93&rurl=translate.google.co.uk&sl=nl&u=http://www.rotc.nl/index.php/live&usg=ALkJrhgCuWCXlSBhEfwKPV4tdzqaQVUbTw 
Looking at the local blogs and news websites today it isn’t always easy to work out what may be an April fools post and what could be real; or at least a rumour with some foundation. 

So first the rumour, which I believe may have some foundation in truth, which is that Formula 1 have been looking for their own dedicated motor racing airport and have put in an offer for Manston Airport.

Details are sketchy at the moment and there is some doubt as to whether the airport is actually for sale as an airport or whether the intention all along was asset stripping and residential development.

The other is that wind, tide and weather being favourable the tall ships taking part in Race of the Classics should be visiting Ramsgate Harbour in the next week at the moment they are scheduled to arrive on Saturday.   

Plenty of photos of previous visits just click on http://thanetonline.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Tall%20Ships scroll down and follow the links.  

The F1 Manston rumour is now looking much more likely to be an April fools wind up, understandably my usual Manston Airport sources are fairly jumpy at the moment.

The Race of the Classics does seem to be on target and you can probably follow the progress of the tall ships by clicking on the link below.   

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Drace%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bclassics%26safe%3Doff%26espv%3D210%26es_sm%3D93&rurl=translate.google.co.uk&sl=nl&u=http://www.rotc.nl/index.php/live&usg=ALkJrhgCuWCXlSBhEfwKPV4tdzqaQVUbTw    

Improvement works to Ramsgate Harbour stops Tall Ships visit

Reading the words of Thanet District Council’s leader today, see http://www.thanet.gov.uk/news/latest_press_releases/race_of_the_classics.aspx?lang=en-gb if you don’t believe this is actually on the council’s website, you may find is reminiscent of newspeak.

Leader of the council, Cllr. Bob Bayford, said: “It’s a great shame that we won’t be able to accommodate the Race of the Classics this year, but the improvement work to the harbour is a priority and something that we know people want to see completed. We understand that people may be disappointed to hear this news, but the long term future of the harbour is the most important thing for us. We look forward to welcoming the tall ships and the Race of the Classics back to an improved Ramsgate Royal Harbour in 2012.”

The picture above was taken today, sorry it’s a bit gloomy it was like that today. There was me assuming that the reason that the tall ships wouldn’t be coming because they couldn’t actually enter the harbour because the sandbar blocking the entrance is the largest we have ever had.

I know I am probably considered an unperson, but this looks like duckspeak although I know I should bellyfeel it to be blackwhite.

Update I have just discussed this with a senior member of the Politbüro, who would prefer not to be named, this is what the said.

“We must think or this as considerable progress, you must remember the terrible problem of Sandy’s Beach has been completely resolved by the new Bob’s Breakwater.

A beach inside a harbour is quite unsuitable whereas a breakwater is quite appropriate to a harbour situation.”

Hartlepool 1,000,000+ visitors Ramsgate 0 visitors from Tall Ships

Here is the BBC news article on their website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-10902082 and I suppose most people saw it on the news item about it this morning.

Lots of pictures of previous Tall Ships visits to Ramsgate the link takes you to the blog posts with the links with the pictures http://thanetonline.blogspot.com/search/label/Tall%20Ships

I suppose what this is all about is the way Ramsgate Harbour was allowed to fall apart during the good economic times.

To have reached the point where we are now in a very difficult economic situation with very little or no money and to have had to turn down what the BBC is calling the biggest free event in Europe is a pretty sorry situation.

The Main part of this is about dredging and communication with the council about it, despite there having been evident signs of dredging in the harbour that now seem to have stopped, the Tall Ships are not coming to Ramsgate.

There are obvious questions here, the first being, has enough dredging been done so that they could have come? Another is, is the dredging finished?

Like so many things the problem here is getting information from the council about what is actually going to be done, before work starts and then when whatever has been done is finished finding out from them if the work is fit for purpose.
We are in the first situation with the pavillion and the second with Pleasurama cliff façade.

Pictures of the tall ships in Ramsgate harbour today

Click here to look at the pictures

Tall ships update

The Race of the Classics, Europe's biggest classic sailing ship race, will now be leaving Ramsgate's Royal Harbour Marina between 11am and 1pm today, so if you would like to get photos / video etc., there are still opportunities to see them.

Tall ships

After yesterdays disappointment when the tall ships cancelled I found some more pictures of last years visit click here to look at them and yes the ones at the end where a minor collision and rather a large scale parking error seems to have occurred your eyes are not deceiving you.

Tall Ships Come to Ramsgate

An early reminder that the tall ships are due back in Ramsgate in about a fortnights time. They are due to arrive here on the morning of Thursday April 17th this however, as always, is subject to weather conditions.

I took a few pictures of this event last year, sorry about the bits in the camera I used an old mirror lens to take the long distance shots of the ships at sea and it had some bits in it that fell into the camera. Click here to look at the pictures.