The young crew of Jolie Brise, the 17m long pilot cutter owned and operated by Dauntsey’s School, are having to endure towering waves and strong winds as they cross the Atlantic from Halifax to Belfast as part of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge. On board with skipper Toby Marris and First Mate Adam Seager are eight current or former Dauntsey School pupils aged between 16 and 18.
The vessel has taken part in all legs of the Atlantic Challenge since it started in Vigo, Spain in May this year. Jolie Brise won the first Atlantic crossing from Tenerife to Bermuda and is looking strong on the crossing back to Belfast.
Currently Jolie Brise is lying fourth overall and second in Class and on the current weather predictions, she should be crossing the finish line, north of Tory Island, off the north coast of Donegal, on the 10th of August. All the fleet are due into Belfast by 13 August for the final four days of the event.
“This voyage has been all about team work and perseverance,” says skipper Toby Marris from on board Jolie Brise, currently just under 1000 nautical miles west of Ireland. “The young crew on board are having an experience that it would take a life-time to repeat but moral is very high. The team of boys and girls from Dauntseys School are enjoying the hard sailing and their sense of humour is ever ready even when the waves are breaking overhead. They want to do well in the race, but the main motivation is to get to Ireland and Belfast as fast as possible to enjoy the legendary Irish hospitality. We have some more tough weather to get through before we cross the finish line and get to enjoy a pint of the Black Stuff as our reward.”
Built in 1913, Jolie Brise was the winner of the first ever Fastnet Race in 1925, repeating this achievement in 1929 and 1930 and is still the only vessel to have won the race three times. She is a frequent competitor in the annual Tall Ships’ Races, frequently winning overall and in class.
The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge is organised by Sail Training International. The fleet are due into the final port of Belfast on 13 August 2009.
Sail Training International has appointed Paul Reilly, 48, as its Chief Executive with effect from 1 November.
Much of Mr Reilly’s career has been with the Dutch international electronics company Philips where he has held a number of positions including most recently Vice President – New Venture Integration, Vice President and Managing Director Central Europe, and Director of International Key Accounts. He has also had other senior roles in marketing and brand management.
He has lived and worked in the Netherlands and Poland as well as the UK, and his most recent assignment involved working with Philips management in the Far East, Russia, the Middle East, the Americas and Europe.
“We had more than 200 applications for the CEO job and interviewed nine. We selected Paul Reilly because of his commercial and marketing strengths and international experience,” says Nigel Rowe, President and Chairman of Sail Training International. “We are not short of people who know about sail training and Tall Ships. So, we were looking for someone with significant commercial strengths in international marketing and business management as well as an empathy with the work we do. These qualities will help us drive our organisation to meet its full potential around the world.”
“The opportunity to help lead an international organisation that has the potential to grow and really a make a difference to the lives of young people is the big attraction of this job for me,” says Paul Reilly. “Sail training is a powerful tool for changing young people’s lives and Sail Training International has a strong record of achievement over the past few years. But it is also clearly an organisation that has many significant opportunities internationally that it has yet to fulfil.”
For further information contact:
Gwyn Brown
+44 (0)2392 586367
+44 (0)7802 640333
gwyn.brown@sailtraininginternational.org
The fifth and last race of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge got under way this afternoon at 1700 hrs local in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The 13 racing vessels took part in a beautiful parade of sail around the bay in front of Halifax, together with some other vessels that had been in Halifax as part of the festival. Led by local Tall ShipBluenose, the fleet circled the bay in front of a huge crowd of people, many of whom had set out chairs along the quayside hours before the official start of the parade.
The final vessel in the parade of sail was Kruzenshtern, looking slightly odd with her shortened foremast, but nevertheless impressive as her crew scrambled up the mast to prepare the sails to be lowered. The Portuguese ship Sagres looked particularly spectacular as she turned in front of the bridge in full sail and sailed past the cheering crowds and accompanying pleasure craft.
photo: Cisne Branco and Kruzenshtern
The 13 racing Tall Ships then made their way out to the race start area, some five miles off Hartlen Point. The conditions were good with south westerly winds of between 10-12 knots getting the fleet off to a good start. First across the line was the elegant Sagres with Capitan Miranda (Uruguay) crossing just 14 seconds behind her. Third across the line was Europa (Netherlands).
In the combined Class B and D start, Jolie Brise (UK) was quick off the mark and fast over the line. Second over the line and hoisting a bright yellow spinnaker, wasRona II (UK) with Belle Poule (France) in third.
Race control, which is on the Brazilian ship Cisne Branco, will now contact each ship every day to obtain their 1400 hrs GMT position. The fleet’s positions will then be mapped on the Sail Training International fleet tracking software, with their positions on corrected time shown in a table.
The fleet’s progress on the race can be seen via the fleet tracking
The list of all the vessels positions on corrected time can be viewed in the Vessel Positions Update
Further images are available from the Picture Gallery
July 12, 2009, St Petersburg – Vladimir Putin – the Chairman of the Government of Russian Federation – was guest of honour at today’s first-race prizegiving of The Tall Ships’ Races in St Petersburg.
Thousands of visitors including crews from over 100 tall ships from 14 countries turned out at the main stage situated at the spectacular location on the Spit of Vasilievsky Island to see Prime Minister Putin present prizes to competitors for the first leg of The Tall Ships’ Races series from Gdynia, Poland.
This Tall Ships festival, which runs for four days (11-14 July), has already gained huge political prestige in St Petersburg and the city, known as the marine capital of Russia, is honoured to be hosting the event once again.
Joining Putin in presenting prizes on the stage at today’s prizegiving ceremony was Valentina Matvienko – the Governor of St Petersburg, and Christer Samuelsson (Race Chairman).
The Tall Ships, including some of the largest square rigged vessels in the world such as St Petersburg-based Mir, Dar Mlodziezy from Poland, and the brand-new Swedish ship – Tre Kronor of Stockholm, are moored up along Lieutenant Shmidt Embankment on the River Neva, and roads along the waterside have been closed to allow the estimated one million-plus visitors the opportunity to take a closer look at these spectacular sail training vessels. Many of the ships are open to the public, and the crew – 50 per cent of which are young people between the ages of 15-25 years – are on hand throughout the festival to guide visitors around the ships and chat about their experiences of life at sea.
The Tall Ships’ Races, which this year started in Gdynia, Poland on Sunday 5 July, will continue with a cruise in company from St Petersburg on Tuesday 14 July through the Finnish archipelago to Turku, Finland. From there, the fleet will set off on 26 July to race its second leg of the series to Klaipeda, Lithuania.
A new race for sail training Tall Ships will be organised by Sail Training International next year. The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta 2010 will start in Hartlepool on the north west coast of England on 10 August and conclude in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on 19 August where the fleet and trainee crews will join in the Sail Amsterdam festivities. (Sail Amsterdam has been held every five years since 1975 and attracts about 2.5 million visitors over five days).
“Welcoming the Tall Ships fleet and its trainee crew members to Sail Amsterdam will be a great bonus for our event,” says Daan Meijer, Director of Sail Amsterdam. “The ships will add to the spectacle in the harbour for the visiting crowds, and the young crews will add to the colour and atmosphere of the event as well as having the opportunity to enjoy what the festival has to offer,”
“Organising a race for sail training Tall Ships to a major festival like Sail Amsterdam is a new departure for us. We will seek out other opportunities for similar arrangements with festivals that are organised at times that do not conflict with our regular schedule of races and regattas,” says Nigel Rowe, President and Chairman of Sail Training International.
The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta will be fourth event in 2010 organised by Sail Training International. The Garibaldi Tall Ships Regatta in April, from Genoa in northern Italy to Trapani in Sicily, celebrates the 200th anniversary of the unification of Italy. The Historical Seas Tall Ships Regatta, in May and early June, will be the first of what Sail Training International plans to be an annual series in the Mediterranean and adjacent seas. The regatta will start in Volos, Greece, and call at Varna, Bulgaria, and Istanbul, Turkey (European Capital of Culture 2010) before finishing in Lavrion, Greece. The Tall Ships Races, the traditional summer series event that began in 1956, starts in July in Antwerp, Belgium before calling at Aalborg, Denmark and Kristiansand, Norway and finishing in early August in Hartlepool prior to the start of the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta.
Four ports within the Baltic Sea, in Denmark, Finland, Latvia and Poland, have been selected to host The Tall Ships Races 2013, race organisers Sail Training International have just announced.
The start port will be Arhus, Denmark where the fleet will gather and all race formalities will be undertaken. From there the fleet will race to the capital city of Helsinki, Finland and then cruise-in-company to Riga in Lativa and then race once again to Szczecin in Poland. This combination of ports will take the fleet around the Baltic Sea, always a popular venue for the event and likely to attract a large fleet.
Firm dates have yet to be agreed, but it is likely the start from Arhus will be in early July, with the finish in Szczecin in early August.
Christer Samuelsson, for Sail Training International, said: “We are delighted to be visiting four ports that have all hosted the event in the past. In particular it is wonderful to have a capital city amongst those ports and Helsinki, with the Finnish archipelago nearby, will be an excellent port for the start of the cruise in company. As always there were many good ports bidding to host the Race Series in 2013 but these four ports offered the best combination.”
The port of Szczecin in Poland, has just been announced as being the Presenting Sponsor for The Tall Ships Races from 2010-2013. Hosting the event in their final year will be a culmination of their sponsorship and is sure to be a large and popular event.
Dates and more detail on planned arrangements will be announced later.
A fleet of Tall Ships have just raced across the Atlantic to Bermuda and are now berthed alongside in Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda, to celebrate the island’s 400th anniversary of settlement. The fleet of 23 Tall Ships with some 1200 crew members are enjoying the warm Bermudian hospitality before embarking on the third race of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge series to Charleston, USA, 800 miles away. The transatlantic race, which took the fleet from Tenerife to Bermuda, had to be called short because of the lack of wind, but the challenge and personal achievement for all those on board the ships, many of whom were young people under 25 years old, cannot be diminished. The fleet ranged from the 115m Russian Tall Ship Kruzenshtern, one of the biggest Tall Ships sailing today, to the 13m yacht Xsaar from Belgium. Also taking part were ships from Romania, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Bermuda and the UK, including Rona II and Jolie Brise, two UK vessels that were crewed by young people all under 25 years old. “The arrival of the Tall Ships fleet has been eagerly awaited by the people of Bermuda and the excitement has been building,” says John Wadson, Chairman, Tall Ships Bermuda Limited. “Ever since they were last here in 2000 to celebrate the millennium, we have been planning for their return and they are certainly one of the highlights of our 400th anniversary celebrations. It’s a real honour to have our own sail training vessel, the Spirit of Bermuda, participating in an international Tall Ships race for the first time,” he added. Space Link In a unique and historic link-up, a number of the young crew members who had just crossed the Atlantic together with some school children from Bermuda, talked to astronauts on the International Space Station in a live telephone conversation. The ten minute live link up took place in the presence of the Bermudian Minister of Education, the Hon El James, JP, MP and the Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Commerce, Hon Terry E Lister, JP, MP.
During the short window of opportunity when the International Space Station was directly above Bermuda, the crew members wished the Russian astronauts happy Russian National Day and the astronauts in turn congratulated Bermuda on their 400th anniversary. The three astronauts that took part in the telephone conversation, Russian Commander Gennadiy Padalka, Roman Romanenko and American Mike Barrett, then answered questions from the young people who were excited to talk directly to the astronauts as they passed overhead.
The questions asked ranged from the astronauts living conditions and leisure activities to muscle wastage and how they managed to wash. The astronauts answered the questions in good humour, explaining that while they had not managed to see the Tall Ships fleet as they crossed the Atlantic, they frequently looked down on Bermuda and enjoyed watching the tiny island in the Atlantic.
The astronauts explained that they were unable to surf the internet so communication with earth was not easy, but they did have an ability to send and receive messages through a mailbox system so could keep in contact with their families over the six month period they are in space.
One young Bermudian wanted to know what advice the astronauts had for the young people of the world. Commander Padalka replied that it was important to study hard, work hard and most importantly of all, to follow your dreams.
A Russian cadet from Kruzenshtern commented that on board ship it was not recommended to drink alcohol as this could have unfortunate repercussions so he wanted to know if there was anything that was best to avoid on the Space Station. The Russian Commander replied that in his opinion the worst thing that could happen for them was to stop moving because if that happened, the Space Station would fall to earth!
The direct link was the brainchild of the Russian Youth Aerospace Society “VAKO Soyuz”, which was created in 1988 to develop and implement national youth education aerospace programmes with the aim of increasing knowledge in the field of technical and human sciences, for peaceful space exploration and exploitation. Instrumental in the organisation of the link was space engineer Nathalie Pottier, a graduate of the Moscow Aviation Institute who has worked with the International Space Station and Launchers projects in Russia, United States, Netherlands, and France.
A short film of the astronauts sending greetings to the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge fleet can be seen:
The Tall Ships fleet will remain in Bermuda until Monday when they will take part in what promises to be a spectacular Parade of Sail around the island before departing in the race to Charleston, South Carolina. From there the ships will continue up the eastern United States to Boston and then on to Halifax in Canada, where a final race will bring the fleet back across the Atlantic to Belfast, where they are due for a final four days of festivities from 13 to 16 August.
The event, the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge, organised by Sail Training International, has been timed to coincide with Bermuda’s 400th anniversary celebrations and the fleet’s presence is forming part of the highlight of the year-long celebrations.
Ends
For further information and images, please contact Corinne Hiching, email: Corinne.hitching@sailtraininginternational.org, tel: +44 77641 83866.
Media & Publications Manager
Sail Training International
Direct tel: +44 1730 810437
Office tel: +44 2392 586367
Mobile: +44 7764 183866
The first leg of this year’s epic Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge is set to start on Sunday 3 May and the Tall Ships taking part in the event are now in Vigo, Spain. The 7,000 mile odyssey around the North Atlantic will see a variety of Tall Ships from Europe, South America and the US competing in an event involving seven ports, five countries and hundreds of crew members.
While in Vigo, the ships’ crews are preparing for the first part of the adventure which will take the fleet south-west to Tenerife, where more ships will join the fleet ready for the transatlantic race to Bermuda. The race across the Atlantic will take between three and four weeks to complete, during which time the crews will have to take it in turns to be on watch, helm, navigate and get the best out of their vessel.
Every day during the race, each vessel will be contacted by race control to establish their positions as at 1400 hrs GMT. These positions will then be plotted onto a map allowing friends and relatives to follow the fleet as they progress across the Atlantic. The fleet tracking can be viewed on www.tallshipsraces.org <http://www.tallshipsraces.org> . The class positions of the vessels will also be available on the website.
When the fleet arrives in Bermuda they will form part of island’s 400th anniversary, an event that is sure to make history. From 12 to 15 June the Tall Ships can be seen in Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda, before leaving in a spectacular Parade of Sail on 15 June.
A third race will take the Tall Ships to Charleston, South Carolina, USA. There the ships will form part of the Charleston Harbor Fest from 25 to 29 June before departing for another race up the east coast of the USA to Boston, Massachusetts where they will join Sail Boston from 8 to 13 July. A short hop up the coast to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada where the Tall Ships Atlantic Fleet will gather from 16 to 20 July before departing for the second Atlantic crossing eastbound to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where they will have their final festival and prize giving from 13 to 16 August.
“This race series has been planned for a long time and we are delighted with the quality of the fleet, offering the opportunity to visit seven ports in one event,” said Bernard Heppener, the Chairman of the Race Committee. “The economic situation has meant some ships were unable to take part, but for those that are, the Challenge will provide their crews with an experience of a lifetime that will be unique and personal to each one.”
For the more adventurous, there is still time to sign up to sail on board one for one of the later races. No prior experience is necessary so as long as you have the spirit of adventure and a pair of deck shoes and shorts, you can be off to sunny climes. Imagine departing Bermuda on a Tall Ship surrounded by a flotilla of pleasure boats in the turquoise seas and racing to the southern charm of Charleston! Those with more time may like to experience the highs and lows of sailing across the Atlantic to Belfast on either a square rigged ship or one of the smaller and faster racing yachts that will be taking part.
More information on the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge can be found on www.tallshipsraces.org <http://www.tallshipsraces.org> where there will be regular updates, pictures and access to the fleet tracking.
Driving rain and increasing winds in front of an approaching cold front failed to dampen the spirits of those on land or those on board The Spirit of Bermuda – Bermuda’s first purpose built sail training ship – as she left the Atlantic Island this morning for her first Trans-Atlantic crossing to Europe. As the ship sailed out of Hamilton Harbour to the cheers of onlookers, John Wadson, Director of Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge; Tall Ships Bermuda and Sail Training Bermuda enthusiastically declared: “This is the beginning of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009 Race!”
“This will be our most challenging voyage yet”, Malcolm Kirkland, Executive Director of the Bermuda Sloop Foundation added. “It’s our first offshore voyage operating in Northern latitudes, up to 40 degrees north, and we have purchased thirty ‘survival suits’ which takes us well over and above the safety requirements. This is all about a challenging, mission critical, operating community, with all the best safety “nets”.
First stop for The Spirit of Bermuda will be in Horta and then Ponta Delgada in the Azores and then Porto, Portugal, before the ship heads to Vigo, Spain for the start of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009 Race on 3 May. That Portugal is her first port of call is significant in that the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009 race is designed around Bermuda’s 400th Anniversary of Permanent Settlement and a large proportion of Bermuda’s strong Portuguese community originates from the Azores.
John Wadson, Malcolmn Kirkland, and Sutherland Madeiros, the Mayor of Hamilton joined an excited throng of family members, friends and supporters at dockside to bid the ship, its trainees, crew and captain ‘Bon Voyage’ as it sailed out of Hamilton Harbour in southwesterly 22 – 28 knot winds.
Bermuda Sloop Foundation official Jay Kempe said this first transatlantic leg will be something of a pilgrimage for the ship as the stop in the Azores will honour Bermuda’s strong cultural ties with those islands that began in the 1840’s. The pilgrimage will no doubt be especially meaningful to Portuguese-Bermudian Brian Bulhoes and his family. Brian, 16, is a veteran of the Public Middle School Waterwise Programme (Yr 1), the 5 Day learning expedition aboard The Spirit (Yr 3) and a world class U16 sailor. Though born and raised in Bermuda, his
large family hails from Ponta Delgada, San Miguel. He is looking forward to meeting other members of his family when the Spirit arrives there and his passage has been sponsored by D&J Construction, one of the Island’s leading construction companies.
Also crewing onboard The Spirit for this historic voyage are five Bermuda Regiment soldiers and three members of staff from the Department of Marine and Ports. “This is important for us”, said Kirkland. “These two institutions are strategic partners and offer important disciplined training for young Bermudians. We are really delighted to have them aboard.”
The Spirit of Bermuda has eight professional crew members under the command of Capt. Simon Colley and 15 trainees. Four seasoned public school students Vershon Simmons, 16; Michael Byron, 15; Cameron Joseph, 16; and Denzel Todd, 18, are on board for the complete round trip of two transatlantic crossings of some 7,000 nautical miles. Spirit will race from Vigo, Spain to Tenerife in the Canary Islands before embarking on the second race of the series to Bermuda. She will continue racing to Charleston, SC, then on to Boston MA and Halifax NS before returning to Bermuda to commemorate the actual landing of the crew and passengers from the ill-fated Sea Venture after her shipwreck on July 28, 400 years ago. It was this event that started the settlement of Bermuda.
Being on land for any length of time clearly doesn’t agree with single handed round the world sailor Dee Caffari. This Saturday 4 April she is going off-shore again, this time to hold a party for her 200 strong team at Spitbank Fort, the Victorian folly, one mile into the middle of the Solent.
Spitbank Fort is no ordinary party venue and clearly Dee wanted to get back to where she is most comfortable – with the view of the sea all around her. It is one of the UK’s most fascinating maritime treasures with a wealth of history and character. Currently a museum, the Fort is available to hire as a party venue and is no stranger to hosting celebrities having seen Davina McCall there last year to celebrate her father Andrew’s 65th birthday.
The awe-inspiring construction of granite and iron was commissioned by Lord Palmerston, and completed in 1878. It was originally equipped with a variety of armaments to defend Portsmouth Harbour from invading vessels that had managed to break through outer defences in the Channel. After twenty years, the role of the fort was changed to counter light aircraft instead of heavy warships with guns being fitted on its roof and searchlights installed to aid visibility after dark. Though always equipped for high level defence, Spitbank Fort never fired a single shot in anger.
Nowadays it’s the sound of laughter that can be heard as parties of up to 500 people can be catered for and accommodation is available for those that want to make a night of it. It’s also holds very popular Sunday lunches with a fully licensed bar and kitchen that can cater for any occasion. Fresh water is not a problem for the Fort. Through a 400ft well that goes down through the channel into the chalk aquifer, beautiful clear, fresh water is always on tap.
Getting enough fresh air is often a problem for guests and delegates at parties and events, but at the Fort you are never very far from some stunning views and refreshing air.
No doubt Dee won’t have any trouble navigating to the Fort but for the rest of us, ferries are available.
For further information on hiring the Fort for your party or business venue, visit the website: spitbankfort.co.uk, email info@spitbankfort.co.uk or telephone 01329 242077.
Featuring the Eagle and other eleven Tall Ships; Belem, Zodiac, Bounty, Elbe nº5, Lynx, Le Belle Poule, Nina, Cisne Branco, Sedo, Hawaian Chieftain and Lady Washington.
If you watched Master and Commander or the Pirates of the Caribbean and fancied yourself at the helm on a Tall Ship, now is your chance! A few of the Tall Ships taking part in this summer’s Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge have berths available with some of them now offering discounted rates.
The famous British yacht Jolie Brise has a couple of places available on the Vigo to Tenerife leg open to anyone aged over 16 years. They also have one place spare on the transatlantic sector from Tenerife to Bermuda for a trainee aged from 16 to 25 years. Bursaries are available, so anyone who would like the rare chance to sail on Jolie Brise should contact them now.
The Dutch Tall Ship Tecla, which is owned and operated by a family, including their dog, has places available on all legs of the race, with discounts available. Only the final race from Halifax to Belfast has an age restriction of between 15 and 25 years.
Kaliakra, a beautiful Tall Ship from Bulgaria, also has a few places available with discounts available. This ship will have a number of different nationalities on board, although the main language will be English. Great for anyone who would like to experience some cultural exchange on the way.
For those that like to be closer to the water and want to experience a modern yacht, the fast and high performance yacht Xsaar, from Belgium, has a few berths available.
The race starts in Vigo, Spain (30 April – 3 May), from where the fleet will race to Tenerife, Canaries (14-17 May). The first Atlantic race will then take the fleet to Bermuda (12-15 June), and then on to Charleston, USA (25-29 June). The fleet will then wend their way up the east coast of the US to Boston (8-13 July) and then on to Halifax, Canada (16-20 July) before the final Atlantic crossing eastwards back to Belfast, UK (13-16 August).
Participants can take part in any one leg of the event, or multiple legs if time permits. No experience is necessary as all training will be given on board the ship. The only requirement is a spirit of adventure and the bottle to take on the challenge.
For further information contact
Corinne Hitching, Media Manager for Sail Training International.
An Isle of Wight teenager is preparing to cross the Atlantic on a 20.6m ketch, as part of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge this summer. Imelda McGrath, 18 and currently at Carisbrooke High School, will be going to Tenerife in May to join the vessel Rona II to sail some 2,600 nautical miles west across the Atlantic to Bermuda.
“Living on the Isle of Wight I have learned to love the sea,” says Imelda. “I’ve tried out loads of different water sports from aqua skipping to surfing but have always wanted to improve my sailing. After a recommendation from a friend I decided to do a sail training voyage with the Rona Sailing Project and through that I won an Amory award which qualified me to attend a selection weekend for the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge.” Imelda will be joining 17 other young women under 25 on the race across the Atlantic, together with five crew members. An all-boy Atlantic crossing will take place when Rona II does the return race from Halifax to Belfast in August. “All the trainee crews will need to work hard to get the best out of Rona II, with four hour watches day and night for the entire four week race,” says skipper Chris Wolley, for whom this Atlantic crossing will also be a first. “It will be hard work for everyone but we are also sure it will be great fun and something that all the young men and women will remember for the rest of their lives.” The cost of taking part in the event is £1400 but all the trainees selected have been asked to fundraise half that amount through a series of activities. So far they have taken part in a London-Brighton bike ride, organised a concert and undertook a 24 hour rowing marathon at Tesco in Southampton. Before Easter they will be doing a round the Isle of Wight bike ride and then over the Easter weekend they will be sailing around the island. Imelda has to delay taking her final A2 exams until January 2010 because she will miss them over the summer. “But I wasn’t about to give up a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge because of exams,” commented Imelda, who has been awarded a RAF sixth form scholarship and hopes to pursue a career as an Engineer Officer in the RAF after studying aeronautical engineering at university. “I’m really looking forward to doing some proper sailing, it’s hard to imagine how awesome it will be to race with a full spinnaker across the Atlantic,” says Imelda. “I know I’ll be very homesick being away from everyone for such a long time but then again I’m already looking forward to ringing home when I arrive in Bermuda. I guess after five week of being together with other girls on Rona II we will become very close, so I expect it will be strange not to have them around every second of the day when I get home!” The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge will involve some 50 Tall Ships racing across the Atlantic, including the second largest Tall Ship in the world, Kruzenshtern. The Russian ship is 114.5m long and takes 257 crew members, making her an awesome sight. The competition for the race will be strong, with all the ships vying to be first across the finish line. “This kind of challenge may not be for everyone but I’m definitely going to be giving my all to try and win. That’s a very important part of the trip for me,” says Imelda. “I will push myself as hard as I can over the course of the race, otherwise there’s no point in taking part. It’s a race after all, not a holiday and I want to win.” More information on the race and the vessels taking part can be found on www.tallshipsraces.org.
Ends The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge is open to anyone from 15 years of age upwards regardless of sailing experience. Trainees can take part in any part of the race and berths are still available on a number of the vessels. For further information contact Corinne Hitching, Media Manager for Sail Training International.
FEELING ALL AT SEA?
CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITH A TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE
Many of are feeling a bit rudderless at the moment. Uncertainly about your job and life in general is very stressful and knowing so many others are in the same boat, is of little comfort. Life is never plain sailing but these difficult times are perfect for giving you the heads up to have a hard look at your life and figure out what you really want to be doing. It offers an opportunity to stop and take stock of your life. Have you been sailing too close to the wind? Drifting? Maybe life at the sharp end has taken its toll and you feel all at sea. If life has scuppered your chances of success and the wind has been taken out of your sails, then maybe it’s time to push the boat out and challenge yourself to see where your strengths really lie. It may seem like an odd thing to decide to do in times of trouble, but taking part in a Tall Ships Challenge, such as this summer’s race across the Atlantic, is a great way of finding your feet and putting you back on an even keel again. Sailing on a Tall Ship is well documented to provide life-changing experiences. By putting yourself on a Tall Ship with a group of other people, you are literally all in the same boat. You will be welcomed on board and get to learn the ropes together, find strengths and weaknesses you didn’t know you had, discover the true meaning of team-work, learn when to pipe down and when to speak up, realise when to cut and run and determine how best to weather the storm. On a Tall Ship you can nail your colours to the mast and work together with the crew to get the best out of your ship. You may occasionally need to batten down the hatches which could have you feeling under the weather, but you will get a square meal every day and even have the chance to sail three sheets to the wind, although this may not be recommended. On watch you may see some ships that pass in the night but the spirit of competition will be alive and well and by and large you will work to the bitter end to make sure your Tall Ship crosses the line before the others. You will enjoy watching the sun move over the yard arm, you may even meet someone whose cut of their jib you quite like, although don’t go overboard as it’s difficult to give anyone the slip while on board a ship. When your ship finally comes in, you will find you will have passed the test with flying colours and feel more shipshape than you ever have before. You will feel exhilarated by the experience, stronger and ready to cast yourself off into a new life, buoyed up, knowing that you can cope with life’s challenges and coast along into the future, leaving others in your wake. Sailing on a Tall Ship could well be the lifeline you need. If you’ve got the bottle, then the ships are ready and waiting. Ends Note to Editors:
The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge is open to anyone from 15 years upwards and no experience of sailing is necessary or even desired. Tall Ships, classic boats and yachts will all be taking part in the event so there are berths available for anyone who has the spirit of adventure and wants to find themselves again. ‘Trainee’ crew members can chose to do one or more legs of the event. Prices vary depending on the leg and ship.
Host Port dates
Vigo (Spain): 30 April – 3 May Tenerife (Canary Islands): 14 May - 17 May Bermuda: 12 June - 15 June Charleston (USA): 25 June - 29 June Boston (USA): 8 July - 13 July Halifax (Canada): 16 July – 20 July Belfast (Northern Ireland): 13 August – 16 August
For more information, visit the website: www.tallshipsraces.org . Email: office@tallshipsraces.org, or contact Corinne Hitching, Media & Publications Manager, Sail Training International. Tel: +44 77641 83866, email: Corinne.hitching@sailtraininginternational.org
Defying Empire: Trading with the Enemy in Colonial New York uncovers the story of New York City merchants engaged in a forbidden trade with the enemy before and during the Seven Years’ War (also known as the French and Indian War). Ignoring British prohibitions designed to end North America’s wartime trade with the French, New York’s merchant elite conducted a thriving business in the French West Indies, insisting that their behavior was protected by long practice and British commercial law. But the government in London viewed it as treachery, and its subsequent efforts to discipline North American commerce inflamed the colonists. Through fast-moving events and unforgettable characters, historian Thomas M. Truxes brings eighteenth-century New York and the Atlantic world to life. There are spies, street riots, exotic settings, informers, courtroom dramas, interdictions on the high seas, ruthless businessmen, political intrigues, and more. The author traces each phase of the city’s trade with the enemy and details the frustrations that affected both British officials and independent-minded New Yorkers. The first book to focus on New York City during the Seven Years’ War, “Defying Empire” reveals the important role the city played in hastening the colonies’ march toward revolution. http://defyingempire.com/
“Defying Empire is one of the most remarkable books I’ve read in years. The story of how New York’s merchants traded with the French during the Seven Years War is revelatory. It depicts a degree of alienation or indifference or both to demands for imperial loyalty that foreshadows the coming American Revolution. It is also a riveting drama in and of itself.” Thomas Fleming, author of The Perils of Peace: America’s Struggle to Survive After Yorktown
On or about the first of May, 2010 the sail training ship, the Barque Picton Castle and her crew will set sail on a monumental 14-month voyage bound around the world. Up to 36 people from all walks of life will be accepted to join this tall ship for this challenging once in a lifetime opportunity—truly the ultimate voyage. These crew will dedicate themselves to seafaring under square-sail and to learning all they can from the ship, the ocean, new found friends on far flung islands, each other and themselves.
This voyage will take the ship and her crew over 30,000 blue-water, deep-sea miles circling the globe in fair winds and foul, pleasant trade-winds, calms and squalls. We will follow in the wake of great explorers and voyagers who came before us, sailing throughout the tropics, putting in at remote and storied ports of call. This voyage is expected to be the last world voyage of the Picton Castle under my command.
Tall Ships can be seen in a number of ports this year as two big Tall Ships events take place over the summer. A total of 12 ports around Europe and the US will host Tall Ships events from April through to August with over 120 Tall Ships set to be involved.
The first Tall Ships event this year starts in Vigo, Spain from 30 April to 3 May which is the start port for the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge. This 7,000 mile odyssey around the North Atlantic will see a variety of Tall Ships from Europe, South America and the US competing in an event involving seven ports, five countries and hundreds of crew members. From Vigo the ships race to Tenerife in the Canaries where they will be from 14 to 17 May. The ships will then race westbound across the Atlantic, arriving in Bermuda to form part of their 400th anniversary, an event that is sure to make history. From 12 to 15 June the Tall Ships can be seen in Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda, before leaving in a spectacular Parade of Sail on 15 June. A third race will take the Tall Ships to Charleston, South Carolina, USA. There the ships will form part of the Charleston Harbor Fest from 25 to 29 June before departing for another race up the east coast of the USA to Boston, Massachusetts where they will join Sail Boston from 8 to 13 July. A short hop up the coast to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada where the Tall Ships Atlantic Fleet will gather from 16 to 20 July before departing for the second Atlantic crossing eastbound to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where they will have their final festival and prize giving from 13 to 16 August. For the more adventurous, there is still time to sign up to compete on board one of the ships. No prior experience is necessary so as long as you have the spirit of adventure and a pair of deck shoes and shorts, you can be off to sunny climes. Imagine departing Bermuda on a Tall Ship surrounded by a flotilla of pleasure boats in the turquoise seas and racing to the southern charm of Charleston! Those with more time may like to experience the highs and lows of sailing across the Atlantic on either a square rigged ship or one of the smaller and faster racing yachts that will be taking part. More information on the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge can be found on www.tallshipsraces.com/atlanticchallenge. Meanwhile in Europe, The Tall Ships’ Races will once again take place in July and August, this year around the Baltic Sea. Starting in the Polish port of Gdynia from 2 to 5 July, a huge Tall Ship fleet will gather for their annual series of races. From Gdynia the fleet of some 100 ships will race to the beautiful city of St Petersburg in Russia, where they will be berthed in the city centre from 11 to 14 July. From St Petersburg the fleet will cruise amongst the Finnish archipelago before arriving in Turku, a city surrounded by islands for festivities from 23 to 26 July. The final race will take the fleet south to Klaipeda in Lithuania, a beautifully located city that boasts miles of undiscovered sandy beaches, where the fleet will be alongside from 31 July to 3 August. Trainee crew members are still being sought by a range of Tall Ships to take part in this event. Further information can be found on www.tallshipsraces.com . Finally, Delfsail will offer a final chance for Tall Ships viewing as a fleet will gather in Delfzijl in the Netherlands from 22 to 26 August. Further information from www.delfsail.nl.
For further information any of these events, including more images, contact Corinne Hitching, Media Manager for Sail Training International.
Tel: +44 77641 83866,
email: Corinne.hitching@sailtraininginternational.org
During it’s 80th Training Cruise “Juan Sebastián de Elcano” will make port calls in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Fortaleza (Brasil), Puerto España (Trinidad & Tobago), San Juan de Puerto Rico (USA), Galveston (USA), Cartagena de Indias (Colombia), La Habana (Cuba), Veracruz (Mexico), Pensacola (EE.UU.), Hamilton (Bermudas-G.B.), and will round up her voyage in the spanish port of Marín.
