THIS week’s walk down memory lane takes us back 12 years – when colours lit up the skies around James Watt Dock as one of Scotland’s biggest firework displays marked the final night of the Tall Ships.
More than 25,000 fireworks were set off from the Garvel Embankment by pyrotechnic company, 21cc Fireworks, who took three days to set up the display.
The sparkling five-minute array of colour and unusual pastel shades was visible from all around the town.
Thousands lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the dazzling night sky display which mark the end of the Tall Ships in Greenock.
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Hundreds more gathered in vantage points above the waterfront to enjoy the spectacle.
The weather also held out on day three, creating the perfect send-off for the dozens of ships and hundreds of crew who enjoyed the carnival atmosphere over the course of the event.
Meanwhile, mechanics at McGill’s Buses came to the rescue of a stranded Tall Ship crew — helping them make a 1,000-mile journey back home.
The crew of the Pogoria were set to be driven back to Poland after completing their stint on the vessel, which docked in Greenock.
But the coach scheduled to take the 52 sailors back home, while bringing the new crew scheduled to take over, had hit serious mechanical problems during the 15-hour journey to Inverclyde, barely managing to limp into Greenock.
The crew managed to alert ship liaison officer David Johnston to their problem, and he called the Greenock bus firm to see if they could aid the sailors’ plight.
McGill’s managing director Ralph Roberts turned good Samaritan and agreed for the engineering team at the Greenock depot to look over the stricken coach, which they were eventually able to repair.
Elsewhere, Scots favourites Deacon Blue rounded off the final night of the Tall Ships with a barnstorming set in front of thousands of revellers.
The iconic band took centre stage to mark the last evening of the event before the boats sailed out.
It rounded off a busy day at the Tall Ships as thousands more people toured the docks where the 57 vessels were berthed and visited the Sugar Sheds and other site attractions.
It was the final performance before the Tall Ships set sail and the band was the latest in a long line of big name to grace the stage following earlier performances by Lulu, Gamu and The Magic Numbers.
A charity set up to give disadvantaged young people a chance of a life at sea were also hoping the Tall Ships would inspire more to come on board.
The Ocean Youth Trust believed the event was an ideal opportunity to show sailing as a great way of delivering opportunities to those in need.
The Trust, partly funded as an education programme by the Scottish Government, had two ships in the race, featuring young people from every local authority in the country.
Meanwhile in sport, Morton's David O’Brien was loving life as a married man after tying the knot— and he believed that settling down would have a positive effect on his football form.
On 28 May 2011, Barcelona had defeated Manchester United in the Champions League final, but 27-year-old O’Brien had his own date with destiny, marrying fiancée Claire the same day.
The Morton winger insisted he was still very much in the honeymoon period and hoped that would be evident in his performances in the season ahead.
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