The Cutty Sark just isn’t solely one in every of London’s most well-known ships, it’s one of the vital well-known ships on the planet and the one surviving excessive clipper. It’s additionally one in every of our favorite museums in London for youths. And now there’s another excuse to go to, for the brand new Cutty Sark Rig Climb Expertise.
Concerning the Cutty Sark
The Cutty Sark was initially constructed on the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland in 1869. It was one of many final tea clippers to be constructed, designed to carry cargo at most pace. Not like regular boats that trip on prime of ocean waves, she was designed to have an extended, slim hull and sharp bow in order that she may lower by means of the waves at pace.
She was initially constructed for the China tea commerce however over the course of her historical past, the Cutty Sark additionally transported greater than 45,000 bales of wool and over 10,000 tons of coal world wide in addition to 10 million lbs of tea. She additionally survived storms, mutinies, a dismasting and a devastating fireplace.
All in all, the Cutty Sark has had a very vibrant historical past.
The Cutty Sark arrived right into a specifically constructed dry dock in Greenwich in 1954 and underwent in depth renovations over the next three years. She reopened to the general public as a museum in 1957.
In Might 2007, nevertheless, a enormous fireplace broke out on board the ship and ripped by means of all three decks. Luckily she was saved and restored and reopened once more 2012.
As we speak a go to to the Cutty Sark is an excellent time out with children. The interactive museum is that profitable mixture of entertaining and informative and explains the historical past of the historic ship with plenty of participating hands-on actions.
Go to on the weekend and also you may spot one of many characters of the Cutty Sark. The captain and prepare dinner can typically be seen wandering across the decks, explaining what life was like on board ship. Common family-friendly occasions happen throughout the college holidays such because the October half time period.
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The Cutty Sark Rig Climb Expertise
In April 2022 the Cutty Sark launched their Rig Climb Expertise, permitting guests to the ship the chance to climb the well-known masts for the primary time since she arrived in Greenwich in 1954.
Through the ship’s heyday, the ship’s crew would usually climb the ship’s ratlines to both untie the sail ties (known as gaskets) to permit the sails to drop down or to stow the sails away. One of many causes why the Cutty Sark was so speedy within the water is due to the fashionable engineering strategies behind the rigging; she had over 11 miles of rigging, 32 sails that created an authentic sail space of 32,000 sq. ft. and a primary mast that was 152ft tall.
Sailors would additionally scramble up the rigging to conduct a lookout from above. They usually wouldn’t simply do that throughout calm climate, they might be anticipated to climb up the rope ladders come rain, shine or storm!
The Cutty Sark have partnered with city journey firm Wire & Sky to supply children and adults the possibility to climb as much as the well-known ship’s masts simply as sailors as soon as did. Wire & Sky additionally run experiences together with the London Abseil from the ArcelorMittal Orbit and the Roof High Climb up on the O2.
How the Rig Climb Expertise works
The expertise begins with a briefing beneath the hull of the ship the place your information gives you a harness and onerous hat and clarify how they work. They can even offer you a quick introduction to the Cutty Sark and her fabled profession.
High tip: There are complimentary lockers if you’ll want to retailer luggage.
Your information then takes you on a really transient tour by means of the ship and up onto the primary deck. The excellent news is that your rig climb ticket provides you entry to your complete of the ship which means that you may mix a your rig climb expertise with exploring the Cutty Sark. I might extremely advocate doing this.
There are two rig climb experiences to select from: the Rig Climb Expertise and the Expertise Plus.
The Rig Climb Expertise takes you from the primary deck to the High Platform simply above the ship’s Course Yard, which is the bottom horizontal spar (pole used to assist the rigging and sails). Benefit from the views of London and views of the Thames earlier than a managed descent through zipline to the primary deck.
The Rig Climb Expertise Plus invitations novice sailors to climb to the Tops Platform after which out on to the Decrease Topsail Yard. Like with the primary expertise, you descend through a managed zip line.
Your entire expertise lasts between 40minutes – 1 hour.
The Rig Climb Expertise Ticket Costs
The Rig Climb Expertise: Grownup from £41 | Little one from £26 | Pupil from £31 | Low cost for Members
Rig Climb Expertise Plus: Grownup from £55 | Little one from £40 | Pupil from £45 | Reductions for Members
These costs embrace common admission to Cutty Sark, which means you may participate within the climb and discover the ship on the identical day. Tickets additionally embrace all security tools and free storage of non-public gadgets.
Peak costs apply throughout weekends and faculty holidays.
Our verdict of the Rig Climb Expertise
For our Cutty Sark journey we tried the Expertise Plus. It’s a distinctive expertise and a enjoyable method to get an perception into what life may need been like for sailors within the 1800s – albeit on dry land and with out the ship tilting on the ocean waves!
The views from the highest, which absorb among the metropolis’s most well-known landmarks together with Tower Bridge and St Paul’s Cathedral, are fairly spectacular too.
I might extremely advocate combining the your rig climb expertise with a day exploring the Cutty Sark itself and Greenwich. The tickets aren’t low cost however they’re much higher worth for cash in the event you discover all areas of the ship earlier than or after your climb. You’re additionally inside strolling distance of Royal Museums Greenwich’s different websites, the Nationwide Maritime Museum, the Queen’s Home and Royal Observatory Greenwich.
How one can get to the Cutty Sark
The Cutty Sark is positioned a brief stroll away from Cutty Sark DLR.
