News 2008

Seaburn Centre
June 2008

Our first public event of the year at Seaburn Centre, on the seafront along from Roker, Sunderland.
This was an event peopled by many of the Heritage Groups in and around Sunderland

Dave (a university student volunteering his time during the summer break) manning our stall inside,
the City of Adelaide outside

Gift Stall with John Coates and wife & Peter Wynn - City of Adelaide

More photos including our large scale model of HMS Venerable

Maurice from Friends of Doxford Engines manning our stall
to give Dave a break

Enactment group opposite our stall

Witherwack Junior School
11th July 2008

A wet morning meant the grass was sodden but the drizzle stopped in the afternoon just in time. Again we had two display areas: Outdoors on the hardstanding for HMS Venerable and indoors for our display and stall.

The above two pictures show both situations.

The event was really well attended and we were told the Venerable had raised a lot of interest. We hope to see you at one of our other events this year. Venerable should have her decks finished by the end of August, some caps on her mainmasts and yards slung. Watch this space!

Harbour Day 2008 (R.N.L.I.)
10th August 2008
There is a harbour day hosted by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution at lots of ports up and down the North East coast from Berwick to Whitby, and perhaps around all our costal ports evey year. We went along to the Sunderland one at Roker Beach. Most of the stalls and ourselves with HMS Venerable were based towards the back of the RNLI boathouse in the large car park there. As usual there were displays put on by our two inshore boats, the Tynemouth lifeboat and two seagoing canoes. The lifeguards and lifeboat crews also gave their all in various contests like tug-of-war and the egg-n-spoon race. There was the opportunity to throw wet sponges at the staff and other entertainment for the kiddies. Hillarious! Plenty of stalls and the one I always make a beeline for ?? Home made jam and preserves. I bought Apple and Blackcurrant jam.

Canoe Race

A couple of sinkings

Round the bouy

Winners home --- ----- but ------ losers "rescued"

How many lifeboatmen can you pack in a dinghy?
Loads when it's Tynemouth lifeboat crew coming
in for a dinner of fish n chips!

I'm not apologising for too many photos here, It was a fabulous sight watching the
two Sunderland Inshore boats (below left, the bigger is the new craft) and the Tynemouth
lifeboat, which did it's evolutions in Sunderland harbourmouth giving off a deep, throaty, diesel roar.

End of show till next year folks.

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free use to Sunderland Maritime Heritage.
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