As the ships make their way on to their next port of call or home, the organisers of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge would like to thank everyone involved in making the event such a huge success. All the seven ports of Vigo (Spain), Santa Cruz (Tenerife), Hamilton (Bermuda), Charleston, Boston (USA), Halifax (Canada) and Belfast (Northern Ireland) made the fleet extremely welcome and put on a variety of tours and events for the crews.

The vessels taking part in the race varied from the smallest at 12.9m, Xsaar from Belgium, to one of the biggest in the world, the 114.5m Kruzenshtern from Russia, with all the crews blending as one big family and helping each other out in so many ways as they made their way around the Atlantic.

Future Events

If anyone has been inspired by the stories that have appeared on this website, then there are plenty of events taking place next year with many of these ships and more looking for trainee crew members.

For further information, please visit www.sailtraininginternational.org.

“The race is over. It feels strange to leave everybody behind and sail away from our little village of boats and our circle of friends. We went through a lot together and made real friends, I’ll miss them and would like to see them again somewhere on the water!

“Our new group has a sea to conquer this first day, the Irish sea, not one of the most friendly ones. And so most of them are sick and a little bit cold. The wind is south west, turning south, and that is just where we want to go.. The sea is not high, but the waves are very short and stop us dead in the water every now and then. Not a problem for Gael and Nele who are now part of the crew of the Tecla. They have seen a lot already, Atlantic Ocean, done and dusted.”

Further images are available from the Picture Gallery.

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge is organised by Sail Training International with the American Sail Training Association.

With thanks to Freight forwarding agents to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009

and Weather forecast providers to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009.

Behind Sagres, the rest of the fleet followed with the crews waving goodbye and saying a big thank you to Belfast for hosting them as well as waving a fond farewell to their colleagues and friends on the other vessels who have shared the highs and lows of the past months. They take with them a lifetime of memories of an event that saw them sail some 7,000 nautical miles, sometimes in hot still conditions and at times in stormy rough weather, but always with friendship and a love of the sea.  Many friendships have been formed over the past months which will no doubt last a lifetime.

Many of the ships and crews will be back together again next year at at least one of Sail Training International’s four events, the Garibaldi Tall Ships Regatta, the Historical Seas Tall Ships Regatta, The Tall Ships’ Races and the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta. For more details of these events, click here.

Further images are available from the Picture Gallery.

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge is organised by Sail Training International with the American Sail Training Association.

With thanks to Freight forwarding agents to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009

and Weather forecast providers to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009.

“What a day, after breakfast some of the crew went on a tour and talk to the shipyard where Titanic was built. We saw the room where the plans were drawn up and then went out to see the slipway where she was built and launched.

“After lunch a live telephone link with the space station had been organized and Bryn, Toyin and Luke were able to talk directly with the Astronauts and ask them questions like “is motion sickness in space the same as on sea”. The answer is that people who get seasick do not always get spacesick.

“Then it was time to prepare for the crew parade. This was an extremely noisy and boisterous event through the streets of Belfast culminating in the prize giving ceremony. We won 1st in class for our leg, 1st in class overall for all the legs and a certificate to show that Rona II had participated in legs of the race. A fantastic result and one that the Project should be proud of.

“The award ceremony was followed by the crew party, this was for all the crews of the ships. Eventually everyone stopped partying and went to bed ready for the final day. What a day! Titanic tour, live conversation with the space centre and 2 1st prize awards.

“On our last day, everybody was up early to clean, complete final packing and say goodbyes. The minibus arrived and by 1030 we were on our way to the airport saying goodbye to our home and protector for the last 4 weeks, Rona II.

“To sum up this has been a most fantastic experience:-
A crew that have been the best
We have coped with every sort of weather the North Atlantic can throw at us except Sun.
The most wonderful experiences on land and water.
Many new friendships made.
And to top it all we won!!

“I feel that I have been privileged to have sailed with such a fantastic team and can only wish everyone fair winds and success in their futures.”

Further images are available from the Picture Gallery.

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge is organised by Sail Training International with the American Sail Training Association.

With thanks to Freight forwarding agents to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009

and Weather forecast providers to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009.

Nele Steinbeck, a trainee who has sailed on Tecla from the day they left Amsterdam on the way to take part in the event, has become so attached to sailing that she is going to be take a course at the traditional sailing school, Zeevaartschool in the Netherlands. Nele is three quarters of the way through university to become a doctor had been wondering if she was doing the right thing and was considering leaving university to go into sailing as a career instead. However, after talking to the Doctor on board the Dutch naval vessel Urania, Diederik Romswinckel, who suggested she continue her studies and then become a ship’s doctor like him, she has decided to follow his advice and do both. Go back to university and join him during the winter to study at the sailing school to become a mate.

Diederik and Nele

Meanwhile on Etoile, Sophie Baviere, a trainee who joined the ship to do the entire Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge as a naval cadet, will now be joining Tecla for two months to act as their interpreter as they take a group of Swiss trainees on board.

Family boat Tecla and friends

The parade of sail will commence at 12 noon today.

Further images are available from the Picture Gallery.

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge is organised by Sail Training International with the American Sail Training Association.

With thanks to Freight forwarding agents to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009

and Weather forecast providers to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009.

Part 1:

Part 2:

By midday today, walking along the quayside became more like a shuffle as the sunny weather brought the families out to visit the ships. An air display added to the excitement and an attempt on a world record number of pirates in one place unfortunately failed simply because insufficient pirates had registered. When the time came to count the pirates it appeared that at least the 1500 needed were present but as only 300 had registered, the record attempt failed.

For many of the crews, today was a sad day as they had to say goodbye to their new ship mates and go home. New crews arrived to take the vessels on to their next harbour and the captains and crews of the Tall Ships Races fleet prepared to go their separate ways after some 124 days of sailing together.

Tomorrow the fleet will start to undock at midday and make their way up the Belfast Lough to Fairway Buoy, just south of Carrickfergus, where HMS Mersey and LE Eithne will be anchored. The fleet will then salute HMS Mersey in their traditional way to pay respects and thanks to the city of Belfast, before continuing on their way north or south. A number of the vessels will be heading south because of the forecast weather conditions, although there will be those that chose to go north.

Further images are available from the Picture Gallery.

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge is organised by Sail Training International with the American Sail Training Association.

With thanks to Freight forwarding agents to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009

and Weather forecast providers to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009.

The crews had paraded through the streets of Belfast earlier in a parade that was full of the usual fun, noise and colour despite the fact that it had been raining heavily all day. As the rain ceased momentarily, the crews paraded across Queen Elizabeth Bride and along Queen’s Quay to the Odyssey Arena for the prize giving.

The crews poured into the Odyssey Arena in front of a huge stage which had been set ready for the crew party that was to follow the prize giving. Lord Mayor of Belfast, Naomi Long, saluted the fleet for their courage in having crossed the Atlantic and hoped that they would enjoy their time in the city of Belfast.

The prize giving began by awarding the class prizes for the fifth and final race that took the fleet across the Atlantic from Halifax to Belfast. The prizes awarded were as follows:

Class A:
1st: Cisne Branco (Brazil)
2nd: Europa (Netherlands)
3rd: Capitan Miranda (Uruguay)

Class B:
1st: Tecla (Netherlands)
2nd: Jolie Brise (UK)
3rd: Etoile (France)

Class D:
1st: Rona II (UK)
2nd: Urania (Netherlands)
3rd: Peter von Danzig (Germany)

Other prizes awarded were:

The prize for the first vessel overall across all classes was awarded to Tecla (Netherlands).

Line Honours, for the first vessel to cross the finish line, was awarded to Cisne Branco (Brazil).

The TSAC prize to the vessel that contributed most to the communications schedule, was awarded to Capitan Miranda (Uruguay) with special mention to Valeria Sorrenti.

The TSAC prize for cook longest at sea, was awarded to Sanne Lever from Xsaar (Belgium).

The Crowther Memorial Shield, for the skipper, mate and crew who demonstrated outstanding seamanship during the final few hundred miles of the race after being hit by a freak wave and losing their topmast and sustaining other damage, was awarded to Jolie Brise (UK).

The Honourable Company of Master Mariners’ Trophy, for a display of exceptional ship-handling and seamanship during the parade of sail in Halifax, was awarded to Sagres (Portugal).

A very emotional Ferry van Schoonhoven accepted the Trophy and thanked the crews for voting for them, which he accepted on behalf of his entire crew, saying that it was a priviledge and an honour to be awarded such a Trophy from his sailing peers.

Information about the events in Belfast can be found on www.gotobelfast.com. A special helpline has been created to answer all questions about the Belfast activities: 028 9024 6609.

The provisional results on corrected time can be viewed in the Vessel Positions Update

Further images are available from the Picture Gallery.

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge is organised by Sail Training International with the American Sail Training Association.

With thanks to Freight forwarding agents to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009

and Weather forecast providers to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009.

Speaking to Astonauts

The conversation lasted around 20 minutes and included questions from the young crew members that reflected their own experience on living on board a small craft for a long period of time. The astronauts answered many questions about how they navigate, what their living quarters are like, whether they are able to listen to FM radio and whether space sickness is like seasickness.

They revealed that they have a beautiful view of the stars both from the northern and southern hemisphere and that the stars do not twinkle as they do from earth because there is no atmosphere at that altitude. They also told the young crews that they have a small space to call their own which is about the same size as a freezer although they said it was a comfortable and great place to live.

The astronauts told the young crews that they do not have FM radio but have an amateur radio so they can make contact with ham radio operators around the world and also class rooms. They have music on board so can enjoy their favourite music at any time.

The Brazilian Tall Ship Cisne Branco passed on a special message to the astronauts inviting them to come aboard the ship any time they are in Rio de Janeiro.

Six astronauts are currently on the International Space Station and one of the goals of the link is to help raise awareness and understanding of space technology among young people and the general public. At first it was expected that only two astronauts would be available but they were so interested in taking part in the link that in the end all six of them managed to free up some time to take part. The astronauts involved were: Commander Gennadiy Padalka from Russia, Roman Romanenko from Russia, Mike Barratt from USA, Tim Copra from USA, Robert Thirsk from Canada, and Frank de Winne from Belgium.

The Tall Ships involved were Belle Poule (France), Cisne Branco (Brazil), Etoile (France), Europa (Netherlands), Rona II (UK), Urania (Netherlands) and Xsaar (Belgium). The Belgian crew were particularly excited to be able to talk to their fellow Belgian, Frank de Winne, from space!

Nathalie Pottier, who works with the Space Station and is hoping that one day she too can visit the Space Station, acted as liaison manager for the conversation and said that the key message resulting from the link was that all crews from the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge are the real winners and that participation is the most important thing. “I heard from the technical staff of the Moscow Control Centre after the link who said that they were pleased with the way the link worked, as it was obvious that there was great enthusiasm on both sides.” See also link to Nathalie’s own website: www.nathaliepottier.com.

A film of the link, including all the questions and answers, is available on Youtube via this link.

The group who spoke to astronauts

Information about the events in Belfast can be found on www.gotobelfast.com. A special helpline has been created to answer all questions about the Belfast activities: 028 9024 6609.

The provisional results on corrected time can be viewed in the Vessel Positions Update

Further images are available from the Picture Gallery.

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge is organised by Sail Training International with the American Sail Training Association.

With thanks to Freight forwarding agents to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009

and Weather forecast providers to Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009.