Association of Dunkirk Little Ships

A popular event with many Association skippers and crews. 17 Little Ships are expected to attend.

The sailing programme for the Little Ships is as follows:

Friday 15th
There is an ADLS sail past at 16.00.

Sat 16th
10.55 Waterloo Band March from lower meadow to ADLS moorings
11.00 Veterans Parade in from the bridge to ADLS moorings
11.10 Band play the salute

15.20 ADLS sail past
15.40 BBMF, Spitfire & Hurricane

Sun17th
11.00 Veterans Parade with Cadet band to ADLS moorings

14.20 ADLS Sail Past
14.30 BBMF with Lancaster

VISIT TO BE CURTAILED

Due to the winds forecast for Monday and Tuesday in the Thames estuary it has been decide that the Little Ships will depart the Royal Dock around 11am on Sunday morning. This means the events scheduled for Sunday will have to be cancelled. This situation is very much regretted but as with all things nautical we are all in the hands of the 'weather gods'!

Little Ships are invited to attend Ostend at Anchor. Details from the official invitation are shown below.
Skippers are requested to register their interest in attending with the Commodore.

The Festival – which has a reputation for being probably the most participant user-friendly in Europe, opens daily from 1000 hrs until 2000 hrs and has three popular aspects:

The Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology on behalf of the Southampton Heritage Federation is delighted to announce the Southampton Maritime Festival, taking place on Sunday 5th and Monday 6th May 2013 at the Ocean Cruise Terminal, Southampton to celebrate the arrival of the Steam Tug “Challenge” following her major restoration, partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The lead organisation will be the Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration trust.

The Annual Veterans Cruise will take place on the River Thames from Thames Motor Yacht Club (TMYC), Hampton Court to Weybridge Mariners Club, Shepperton Lock Island.
Over 80 Veterans including some of the few surviving Veterans of Operation Dynamo, Chelsea Pensioners, Normandy Veterans and some of the original Commandos will join Association of Dunkirk Little Ships Honorary Admiral, Prince Michael of Kent for his special day out on the River Thames.

The 2012 Commemorative Cruise will be held in London, in West India Dock to coincide with the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. The Pageant to be held at high water on the afternoon of Sunday 3 June 2012 and the event will see up to a thousand boats muster on the River Thames in preparation for Her Majesty The Queen to lead the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. The Pageant celebrates Her Majesty's sixty years of service by magnificently bringing the Thames to life.
Little Ships will assemble in Barnes reach prior to the event.

FOLLOWING THE SUCCESSFUL RETURN TO DUNKIRK< THE ADLS ARE NOW PREPARING FOR THE ANNUAL VETERANS CRUISE, WHICH THIS YEAR TAKES PLACE ON SUNDAY 5 SEPTEMBER. THE FLOTILLA OF LITTLE SHIPS WILL MOOR DOWNSTREAM OF KINGSTON BRIDGE FOR VETERANS TO EMBARK AT 0915 FOR A 0945 DEPARTURE, AND WILL TRANSIT EAST MOLESEY AND SUNBURY LOCKS TO MAKE AN ETA AT THE WEYBRIDGE MARINERS CLUB OF APPROXIMATELY 1300. THE VETERANS WILL BE HOSTED THERE TO LUNCH BEFORE RETURNING TO KINGSTON IN A FLEET OF PERIOD VEHICLES AT APPROXIMATELY 1530.

The Annual Veterans Cruise is one of the most important events in the ADLS calendar. Originally conceived as an opportunity to reunite participants in Operation Dynamo with the Little Ships, the event now includes Veterans from D-Day and other operations of WWII.