Hartlepool bids farewell to Tall Ships

Crowds lined the coastline around Hartlepool to bid farewell to the Tall Ships.

The fleet of vessels took part in the parade of sail to mark the end of their four-day visit to the town.

Organisers said between Friday and Monday just under 900,000 people had visited the event.

They said it had left them confident they would meet their target of attracting a million visitors.

From Tuesday afternoon, the ships began leaving Hartlepool marina before gathering about a mile offshore for the parade of sail.

After leaving Hartlepool, half the fleet will be racing in the North Sea Regatta to Amsterdam, which starts on Wednesday.

The others will sail back to their home ports or to other parts of the world.

The Tall Ships Race takes place every summer in European waters.

Up to 6,000 young people from more than 30 countries take part, with at least half of each crew made up of people aged between 15 and 25.