The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS) are sailing as a fleet from Ramsgate to Dunkirk over the late May Bank Holiday weekend 21st-26th May 2025.
There will be 74 Dunkirk Little Ships in the fleet, a large number never having been previously seen in the modern era.
Isle of Wight connection
Papillon, which used to be based in Cowes, will be taking part in the crossing. Owners Geoff and Jodi Papillon onto the Thames at Teddington last year, but they both still live in Cowes. They added,
“We have a strong connection to Dunkirk and Operation Dynamo in that Jodi’s Grandfather, Capt William Smith was the Capt of MFH (now Gainsborough Trader) and sailed to Dunkirk from Newport Quay along with five other motor vessels.”
85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo
The voyage marks the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo, the rescue of more than 338,000 British and Allied troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in late May and early June of 1940.
This will be the first time the Little Ships have made the crossing since 2015. The ADLS arranges a voyage every five years but in 2020 the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Escorted by the Royal Navy and the RNLI
The 2025 crossing will be escorted by the Royal Navy and the RNLI, with a spectator fleet of modern craft present in Ramsgate and Dunkirk. Commemorative events will be held in Dunkirk.
The Little Ships are planning on sailing from Ramsgate Royal Harbour on 21st May 2025, arriving ten hours later in Dunkirk, weather and sea conditions permitting.
They will assemble in Ramsgate before the initial sailing date and will likely be berthed in the inner marina.
Commemorated by Hollywood
The Little Ships have been widely commemorated by Hollywood.
First, in Dunkirk (1958), directed by Leslie Norman, and most recently in Dunkirk (2017), directed by Christopher Nolan, in which a number of the original Little Ships and their owner/crews made a guest appearance in several sequences.
Visit the ADLS website for more information.
Article edit
10.18am 31st Jan 2025 – Info about Papillon updated
News shared by Mick on behalf of ADLS. Ed
