On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the Barbados 50 yachts sailed through one of the world’s most iconic sights, London’s Tower Bridge, for the start of an epic voyage which will finish on the other side of the Atlantic in Barbados in six months time.
The Dean 5000 catamaran Maisie, crewed by Swiss couple Martin Mueller-Duysing and Rita Egle, was first through the bridge as it opened at noon, closely followed by British yacht Sundowner, an Oyster 39, sailed by Sue and Howard Chambers.
Maisie first to head through Tower Bridge
Sundowner sails past the Tower of London
The yachts, sporting banners made up of the distinctive Barbados national flag colours of blue and gold, spent half an hour circling in the historic Pool of London off the Tower of London, before turning with the tide to make their way downriver.
Accompanying them for the first section of the route as far as Greenwich was the Thames sailing barge Thistle, chartered by the Barbados High Commission so that VIPs and guests could share the first part of the yachts’ voyage.
Thistle and Sundowner going downriver through the bridge
The Barbados 50 sailing rally is sponsored by Barbados Tourism Marketing, as part of the celebrations marking the Caribbean island’s 50th year of independence.
A welcome rum punch for the sailors on the eve of departure, supplied by Barbados Tourism Marketing, sponsors of the rally. Left to right: Howard and Sue Chambers, Jimmy Cornell, Rita Egle & Martin Mueller-Duysing
The yachts’ next destination is Falmouth, a few day’s sail westwards. Here they will meet more rally participants before heading to Spain and Portugal and across to the Canary Islands where the remainder of the fleet will join the event, bringing the total number of yachts sailing in the commemorative rally up to the symbolic figure of 50.
Barbados 50 is sponsored by Barbados Tourism Marketing, Tenerife Port Authority, Promotur Turismo Canarias and the Patronato de Turismo de Lanzarote.
