As expected last night saw Alba Explorer (UK) cross the finish line at 03.27 GMT. The next finishers are expected sometime shortly after midday today, including Spaniel (Latvia), Mir (Russia) and Dar Mlodziezy (Poland). Meanwhile a number of changes have occurred overnight. In Class A on corrected time Christian Radich maintains the lead but now Alexander von Humboldt (Germany) has moved into second place with Stavros S Niarchos (UK) now in third.
Stavros S Niarchos
Class B on corrected time is now being led by the Norwegian Stina Mari, clearly heading for home with a final burst of energy. Behind her is Jolie Brise (UK) and Far Barcelona (Spain). Alba Explorer may have crossed the finish line first but Black Diamond of Durham (UK) is now in the lead in Class C on corrected time with Alba Explorer second and Ocean Spirit of Moray (UK) back up into third. Class D is also undergoing a shake up with Assarain II (UK) taking the lead, St Barbara V (UK) in second and Lietuva (Lithuania) in third.
Winds closer to the Norwegian coast are lighter which means many of the vessels are slowing down considerably and taking longer to reach the finish line. For those vessels still crossing the North Sea, winds should remain moderate.
Sail Training International
July 27, 2008 | admin
While the battle for the race continues apace with a number of vessels pulling out all the stops to win, the spirit of The Tall Ships’ Races is also alive and well. International Friendship and Understanding are the key words when it comes to the ethos of the event and this was very apparent today when one of the vessels reported a problem.
This morning, Toby Marris, the captain of Jolie Brise (UK), one of the leading vessels in the fleet on corrected time, realised that he had electrical charging problems on board and would soon not be able to provide his twice daily position reports to the Communications Team, who are escorting the fleet aboard HMS Mersey.
Photo: RFA Lyme Bay and HMS Grimsby at the race start.
Close at hand was Stavros S Niarchos (UK) who advised the Communications Team that they had a spare battery charger. The Royal Navy then stepped into the breach to help out, going along side Stavros S Niarchos to take the charger while allowing the vessel to continue on her course under sail. A Shetland Coastguard helicopter was then deployed to pick up the charger from HMS Mersey and then take it and drop it via a hi-line to Jolie Brise.
This wonderful joint effort between competing vessels and the Royal Navy has meant that Jolie Brise can now continue to report her position and carry on racing.
The race organisers, Sail Training International, are extremely grateful to the Royal Navy for their unflinching support for The Tall Ships’ Races. Commodore John Madgwick OBE, the Naval Regional Commander for Northern England, has been particularly instrumental in ensuring that RFA Lyme Bay, HMS Grimbsy and HMS Mersey were available for the spectacular start off Northern Island on Wednesday and for HMS Mersey to continue to escort the fleet to Norway.
July 26, 2008 | admin
Photo: Cuauhtemoc passes the Royal Liver Building.
The Tall Ships’ Races fleet left Liverpool today in a glorious Parade of Sail with the sun shining and the crowds out in their hundreds of thousands. Stavros S Niarchos led the parade passing Pluckington Bank Buoy at 1400 hrs followed by a group of other vessels. Each subsequent group of ships followed at five minute intervals.
The Yakevlovs aerobatic display team flew overhead as the Parade got going, with a fire tug spraying water for added effect. With the wind coming from a northerly direction, the ships were unable to display much sail, but a few of them did put up some stay sails, notably the Mexican ship Cuauhtemoc. Members of the Pogoria crew manned the yards and waved at the crowds who cheered and waved back.
Over 1 million people are estimated to have visited Liverpool over the past four days to visit the ships and witness the Parade of Sail. The organisation of the event went as smoothly as it was possible given the challenging conditions of having a split fleet. Public transport worked well, with shuttle buses constantly on the go to move people from the Albert Dock site to the Wellington Dock.
The Liaison Officer system worked extremely well with a couple of notable problem solving highlights. When Jens Krogh broke her bowsprit on arrival a 30 ft piece of wood was found to replace it, shipped in and replaced in time for the vessel to take part in the Race. Meanwhile an SOS was received from the Brazilian Embassy about a washing machine problem on Cisne Branco. A part was quickly sourced and replaced so the ship could continue to launder their white uniforms! All in a day’s work for the Liaison system.
The fleet are now en route to the north coast of Northern Ireland where the race start will take place at 1500 hours local time on Wednesday 23 July. From there the fleet will race around the top of Scotland and then across the North Sea to Maløy in Norway where they are due to arrive on 1 August.
Sail Trainig International
July 21, 2008 | admin
HRH Prince Andrew dropped by The Tall Ships’ Races fleet for an informal visit last night much to the delight of the waiting crowd who got word that a special visitor was due and hung around, even in the rain, for a chance to say hello.
Prince Andrew met dignitories from Liverpool and representatives of Sail Training International before boarding Lord Nelson to meet with a number of captains of some of the Class A ships berthed in the Wellington Dock. The Prince then boarded Stavros S Niarchos to meet some of the young trainees from the Liverpool area who will be sailing on board the ship for the Race to Maloy.
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Prince Andrew spent some time talking to each of the captains about their ships and was impressed by the wide range of nationalities involved in the event. He joked with the young trainees on Stavros S Niarchos much to their delight and even took time to speak to some of the waiting crowd.
An estimated 40,000 people visited The Tall Ships’ Races fleet in both the Albert Dock and Wellington Dock areas. Despite occassional rain showers and heavy traffic, the public were in good humour and delighted to see the fleet back in Liverpool.
Sail Training International
July 19, 2008 | admin
A wet and windy Liverpool is ready and waiting for The Tall Ships’ Races fleet to arrive. The official start of the event is today, Friday 18 July, but many vessels are planning their arrival today, no doubt keen to get out of the wind and rain. Their welcome in Liverpool could not be warmer however, despite the weather, with expectant crowds already out and about in Albert Dock.
Arrangements for the event are all going smoothly with an army of Liaison Officers standing by for their vessel’s arrival. All police leave has been cancelled for the weekend as they are expecting upward of 800,000 people to visit the fleet. The fact that the Open Golf Championship is being held at Royal Birkdale, just down the road, is also expected to swell numbers.
The only Class A vessel in dock so far is Lord Nelson but a number of others are expected to arrive later today, including Alexander von Humboldt, Stavros S Niarchos, Pelican and Capitan Miranda. All the remaining Class A vessels will arrive in a flurry of activity this morning in time for the official start of the event at 12 noon.
The weather does not look promising for the next couple of days, although Sunday seems to be the most likely day for some sun. The Parade of Sail on Monday is expected to bring many thousands of people out along the Mersey to witness the spectacle.
Sail Training International
July 18, 2008 | admin
How my first tall ships adventure has led me to want to work with them regularly.
By Melissa Joy
Prince William (arriving in Portsmouth 8th Sept 2007)
I’d been interested in tall ships for a few years before I went on my first voyage, and I’d been studying them mainly through the internet. Following that initial interest, I knew I needed to do the research in order to write as well considering I am also an aspiring fantasy writer. For a long time I’d wanted to sail on a tall ship to get the hands on experience for both of these things, but hadn’t been able to afford it. However, when my 21st birthday came in August 2007, that all changed.
My older brother asked me what I wanted for that birthday, and told me that he wanted to do something very memorable for me. I said that I would love to do a day sail on a tall ship, and would like to do it in Portsmouth so that I could visit HMS Victory as well. On my birthday, my brother surprised me with the paperwork that said I’d be sailing on a tall ship for a week from Barry in South Wales to Portsmouth. At first, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing or hearing, but the excitement soon settled in.
Roughly three weeks later when I came to do the voyage, of course I was nervous and afraid of embarrassing myself in front of others. For a long time I’d been an introvert and not very social. I didn’t have many friends that I could see on a regular basis as most of them worked a lot of the time or they lived a great distance away. Instead, I amazed myself. I got along with everyone and I settled in very quickly. I already had some knowledge of tall ships from my research online, but it wasn’t going to stand up to actually sailing on one and working as a member of the crew.
I sailed on the Tall Ships Youth Trust’s brig Prince William with other people of my age range, and loved every minute of it. I was a member of perhaps the most spontaneous and excitable watch on board; humour and laughter being the two main highlights of being with them. I actually started to feel sad when the voyage was rapidly coming to an end. What it taught me though was how to socialise better, how to be an effective team member, and how to live life to its full potential. I really felt empowered.
Since that voyage, I have sailed with the Jubilee Sailing Trust on board LORD NELSON (November 2007), and have also taken up volunteering for both of these trusts. The ocean calls me now, and every time I’m at the coast I long for the next time I’ll get to be out on it sailing on a tall ship. I’ve found a big part of myself in sailing on these magnificent vessels, and enjoy sharing my experiences with other people. For some people it’s a once in a lifetime experience, but for me it’s something I’m going to do continually as much as I can. I am now looking into short term maritime courses that I hope will allow me to take part in working with tall ships more. My next voyage is already arranged, and that will be in the Caribbean on board Stavros S Niarchos in April 2008.
You can contact Melissa Joy on Facebook
or visit her website
February 8, 2008 | admin
