00:00Little ships involved in the historic recreation of the Dunkirk evacuation 85 years ago have
00:09arrived home after being delayed by stormy weather. A total of 66 boats from across Europe
00:15took part in the recreation of Operation Dynamo. During the Second World War, it was a fleet of
00:21a thousand that answered the call to bring back British and Allied soldiers, all while under
00:27heavy fire. Well, let's cross to Amelia Harper now who's at Ramsgate for us. Amelia, it must
00:35be a very special atmosphere. Absolutely, a really special atmosphere and this is absolutely
00:42not my normal live broadcasting location, but describing the atmosphere today, people, particularly
00:49people who live around here at Ramsgate Royal Harbour, have been absolutely thrilled to see
00:54these little ships and we've got a beautiful black boat in the background here and if you
00:59walk along, follow me, walk along this pontoon, the beautiful white boat here, this beautiful
01:05big blue hull and I want to head down here because have a look at the varnish on this one. If we
01:11walk down here, let's have a chat with Simon. Now, Simon, if you come here for me, Simon took
01:18part in the crossing today. Tell me about your boat. What is the history here? She was built
01:25in 1935 and is a twin-screw gentleman's motor yacht, went across to Dunkirk on the 29th of May
01:32and was attacked by German Stuka dive bombers and they straddled her, cracked the ribs and the troops
01:40put her onto the beach because she was sinking. She was refloated and then bailed out all the way back to
01:46Ramsgate where she then floundered on the Goodwin sands, towed in by a minesweeper, spent the rest of the war in service.
01:53How has it felt, both of you, we have Nick here, one of the crew, how has it felt to be part of today?
02:00It's been a huge honour to have the chance to come back 85 years after the evacuation to commemorate what had happened on those days,
02:08to celebrate the achievement of the boats, which was remarkable, and also to tell the story. There are no veterans left.
02:15So these boats have the story. So it's a very important element now to educate the next generation
02:21and remind them what the Dunkirk spirit was all about, that not giving up and going the extra mile.
02:27Many of them are near 100 years old. How much has it taken to get your beautiful boat out on the water today?
02:33Years and years of work by dedicated shipwrights and people. 19 coats of varnish this winter, a new roof last winter.
02:42So lots and lots of work, but it's worth it for the memory of these heroes that helped save democracy for this country.
02:50Simon, Nick, thank you so much for your time. I'm sure you guys can enjoy a well-earned drink now, but it's been a beautiful day here.
02:57People have been standing watching the ships come in. This is the first time that this has happened in 10 years.
03:04These trips to Dunkirk and back happen every five years, but the last one was cancelled due to the pandemic.
03:11So we have some very happy crews here that have taken part in what they say is a very, very special day.
03:16Yeah, and as one of your guests said, there's no veterans left. So events like this are even more important just to remember the events.
03:24Amelia, thank you so much.
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