'LYMINGTON AFLOAT'

ST BARBE MUSEUM AND GALLERY EXHIBITION

Wednesday 9th October

This visit to St Barbe Museum and Gallery is to view the 'Lymington Afloat' exhibition'. A short talk will be given by one of the curators and Mac Hall (member of the steering and organising teams). The visit will be followed by a simple lunch at a convenient local restaurant...probably Prezzo.

'Lymington Afloat' is a festival starting Sept 14th, 2024 and lasting until early January 2025. The festival celebrates 1,000 years of innovation centred on the Lymington River. At its' heart is a major exhibtion in St Barbe Museum and Gallery. There will be a town trail, a celebration weekend, an online exhibition, a widely available education programme and more, all supported by 10,000 brochures distributed around the area.

Throughout history Lymington has been a major port on the south coast whether for building vessels for Edward 1st to defend the realm in the 13th; salt production and exportation; or Americas Cup racing. The yacht 'Alarm' built in Lymington in the 19th century raced the yacht 'America' around the Isle of Wight in 1851 in the first of the famous Americas Cup races. Lymington has developed into a centre of excellence for world renowned yacht design and construction, plus all the necessary suporting businesses. We have some of the early designers of sails for cargo boats. As these businesses have developed so Lymington has grown; the local sailing scene has attracted more and more people to the town. We have many round the world skippers, olympic gold and silver medallists, multiple youth world successes and much more. The exhibition in St Barbe will endeavour to bring this history to life.