Photos are copyright: Maggie May
During the summer holiday, Bristol always has a Harbour Festival when thousands of people come down to the lovely water front and take part in the festivities on offer. Stalls from different European Countries, many visiting small boats as well as staged rescue acts from the helicopter and dingy, sometimes involving dogs who haul people out of the water. All good fun and interesting to see.
The festival went on for a whole weekend and culminated in a grand firework display.
Bristol is very proud of The Matthew that is always moored along our water front. This is a replica of the ship that John Cabot used to cross the Atlantic in 1497 to America. The newer version has visited America and survived the Atlantic but it does have an engine and radio for back up.
One thing that always strikes me is how small this ship is and how tiny it must be in that huge ocean, battling over huge waves with sails puffed out in the wind.
The ship in the picture below is the SS Great Britain. This was the first propellor driven iron ship to ever cross an ocean. She travelled to America and Australia and was later found abandoned in The Falkland Islands, was rescued and brought back to Bristol where she had been launched in the very beginning.
It took years to restore her to her former glory and she is now in dry dock and is a popular ship to visit.
I must admit that I love visiting the water front regularly, but especially during The Harbour Festival when flags are flying everywhere I look.
Watery Wednesday is hosted by 2sweetnsaxy. Look her up for some great photos from all over the world.
