Keeping the Tall Ships Flowing
Behind the Scenes in Aberdeen

We chatted to Team Coach Malcolm McKay about keeping the Tall Ships Race supplied with fresh, clean water. From quenching the crews’ thirst to keeping vessels flowing, here’s how they kept things running behind the scenes…

Several weeks might have passed since the Tall Ships Race lit up Aberdeen, but for me and the team it still feels like yesterday. The city was alive with colour, music, and maritime history and behind the scenes, we were making sure that every vessel had one vital thing: fresh drinking water.

Over the four days, we supplied 68 ships and a shower block, shifting around 860,000 litres in total. That’s the same as 344,000 big bottles of water or about 3.4 million cups of tea.  Believe me, there were moments when a strong cuppa went down very well.

This wasn’t your average week on the quayside. The Tall Ships don’t exactly run to office hours. My colleagues Mick Faulkner and Carl Johnson pulled the night shiftsfrom 11pm to 8am, connecting hoses under floodlights while the rest of Aberdeen slept. I started at 6am the day before the ships arrived and kept going until 9pm, topping up the early arrivals. My manager, Stuart Edgar, pitched in too – every extra pair of hands made a difference.

We’re used to long hours at Aberdeen Harbour. It’s one of the oldest and busiest ports in the UK with 37 global shipping connections. Tankers, trawlers, supply ships – you name it, we supply it, 24/7, 365 days a year. But the Tall Ships Race was something else.  It had been over 28 years since they last visited, and with around 400,000 visitors expected, the pressure was on to get everything right

By the time dawn broke, the quayside was already alive with crew members rushing about, masts towering overhead which made it feel like stepping back in time.

The organisers couldn’t have been more complimentary about the effort put in and we even got a shout-out on BBC Radio Scotland for the service we provided, which was a proud moment for the team.

It might not have been glamorous – hoses, hard hats and late nights rarely are – but I couldn’t be prouder of how everyone pulled together. We might not have been centre stage, but knowing we kept the ships and their crews looked after is what it’s all about.

It’ll be a long time before the Tall Ships are back in Aberdeen, but when they do, you can bet we’ll be ready with the hoses at the quayside once again.