TRACY NEAL
WATERFRONT WELCOME: The tall ship Lord Nelson arrives at Port Nelson on Saturday afternoon.
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A fleet of around 30 yachts, launches and powerboats turned out on Tasman Bay this afternoon to welcome the tall ship Lord Nelson to the city of its namesake.
A large crowd lined the Nelson waterfront to watch the the ship enter The Cut and tie up at Port Nelson.The 55-metre square rigged vessel, owned by UK charity, the Jubilee Sailing Trust, raced in the Tall Ships Race from Sydney to Auckland before embarking on its voyage around coastal New Zealand.
The Lord Nelson was built in 1986, is designed for able bodied and disabled crew, and stopped in Nelson on its first visit to New Zealand. Seventeen year-old Otis Horne of Hastings, who has been in a wheelchair since the age of three, helped guide the ship through The Cut into Nelson Harbour.
“I just steered to the angle Barbara [Captain Barbara Campbell] told me to.
“It’s just been a great experience,” he said of the 10 days he has been on board since joining the crew in Wellington.
The Lord Nelson will in in Nelson until Tuesday.
Crowd gathers to welcome Nelson"s namesake Waterfront packed for tall ship"s arrival