July 16th 2011: Tall Ships 2011 Race Report
We slipped lines in Waterford around 10am with vast crowds lining the docks to wave us off. The parade of sail took us down the estuary to Dunmore East where we gathered awaiting the race start. Captain Victor Antanov came down to address the whole crew on deck and give them a pep talk ahead of the start. It reminded me of one of the happy hour discussions on Team Finland when we talked about the need to keep course – calculating how costly a 2 degree error would be over a course of 4000 miles. Only this time, the skipper was talking about a tolerance of 0.5 degrees! He also talked about the need to turn the sails quickly on a tack. One regular crew member later told me that Captain’s record was for turning the sails 12 times in an hour!
As we sailed down toward the Irish Sea, Natalia gave us a tour of the ship. We visited the galley to see meatballs and rice being prepared for lunch, we were taken to the sail locker where they had some amazing sewing machines to repair sails and carried a complete set of 26 sails to replace any damaged on the rig. The engine room was too noisy to communicate but we were able to witness the huge engines, generators and incinerators for rubbish. Finally we were shown the officers quarters, mess and Captain’s private quarters where he entertained VIPs (obviously those from Russia as opposed to visitors from US, UK or Ireland!).
In light winds the race started around 2pm and within 20 minutes The Mir had pushed through the fleet and taken an early lead. In the event we would hold that lead throughout the race and cross the finish line first. However, each boat or ship is handicapped and since the Mir has won so many times in recent years, the handicap gets greater to provide a more competitive field. Given the course, we still stood a good chance of winning but shortly after the race started it was announced the route had been changed from West of Ireland to East of Ireland. This was a big disappointment since not only did it mean we stood little chance of winning but it also meant we would arrive in Greenock 2 or 3 days early! Having said that, it must be remembered that this race is primarily designed for youngsters (18-25) who are experiencing their first sea voyage and a howling Atlantic gale is probably not the best way of enticing them back.
So we settled into the task of trimming sails and tacking throughout the day and night. Our ‘watch’ – such as it was - ran from around 7am to 11pm. If a tack was required in the middle of the night then the general alarm was sounded and everyone went up on deck to turn the sails. We started with largest – the mainmast – before turning to the foremast and then the mizzenmast. In all we were able to turn the sails and get back up to speed in around 7 minutes. That left the crew tidying up ropes with such neatness even the Team Finland crew would have been proud.
At around 5pm on the first day we had all but stalled in calm seas. The wind picked up overnight and we had a good speed of around 7-8 knots thorough Monday. At one point were accompanied by a sizeable pod of dolphins – the first time I had ever experienced their company in British waters. By the Monday night though, we were screaming along at around 14 knots and all 26 sails working hard. What was staggering at that speed is how solid and stable the boat was. You had to look over the side to confirm you were actually moving. We had a general alarm around 5am on the Tuesday morning with one last turn before we crossed the finish line at 5:38am. We were over two hours ahead of nearest competitor but we felt sure the handicaps would favour The Christian Raddich – and they did!
The cruise into Greenock meant we all had a chance to go up the mast. It never ceases to amaze me how mast climbing is a free climb without being clipped on. Patsy and I both made it to the second level (just over 110 foot above the deck) but were prevented for insurance reasons from climbing further. So we went back down to the first level and out on the yardarm. This I found a little awkward because of my height. The idea is to lean over the yardarm and let the midriff take your weight. That way you use your feet just for balance and your hands are free to collect the sails. But the lower yard arms are so thick I could not quite get my body over enough so my feet took more weight than they should and I never quite got comfortable. Shaking knees don’t help either....
I enjoyed a good spell at the helm and managed to hold it on course accurately enough to please the watch but as with the Lord Nelson, there was a considerable delay between moving the wheel and getting a response out of the rudder. We were also sailing past some small islands so the tide and current added an extra spice to the challenge.
At mealtime, the food was basic but very edible. Most meals came with tea and soup and, as on most boats, favoured carbohydrates. Breakfasts were a little odd and you had to sit with your hand up to get served (note to self – don’t try this at home) but all in all it was very enjoyable. As paying trainees, we were the only ones allowed access to the ships bar and whilst we managed to resist the chilli vodka we did enjoy some traditional Russian Beer on the last night whilst watching a fairly long film on the history of St Petersburg.
We slipped lines in Waterford around 10am with vast crowds lining the docks to wave us off. The parade of sail took us down the estuary to Dunmore East where we gathered awaiting the race start. Captain Victor Antanov came down to address the whole crew on deck and give them a pep talk ahead of the start. It reminded me of one of the happy hour discussions on Team Finland when we talked about the need to keep course – calculating how costly a 2 degree error would be over a course of 4000 miles. Only this time, the skipper was talking about a tolerance of 0.5 degrees! He also talked about the need to turn the sails quickly on a tack. One regular crew member later told me that Captain’s record was for turning the sails 12 times in an hour!
As we sailed down toward the Irish Sea, Natalia gave us a tour of the ship. We visited the galley to see meatballs and rice being prepared for lunch, we were taken to the sail locker where they had some amazing sewing machines to repair sails and carried a complete set of 26 sails to replace any damaged on the rig. The engine room was too noisy to communicate but we were able to witness the huge engines, generators and incinerators for rubbish. Finally we were shown the officers quarters, mess and Captain’s private quarters where he entertained VIPs (obviously those from Russia as opposed to visitors from US, UK or Ireland!).
In light winds the race started around 2pm and within 20 minutes The Mir had pushed through the fleet and taken an early lead. In the event we would hold that lead throughout the race and cross the finish line first. However, each boat or ship is handicapped and since the Mir has won so many times in recent years, the handicap gets greater to provide a more competitive field. Given the course, we still stood a good chance of winning but shortly after the race started it was announced the route had been changed from West of Ireland to East of Ireland. This was a big disappointment since not only did it mean we stood little chance of winning but it also meant we would arrive in Greenock 2 or 3 days early! Having said that, it must be remembered that this race is primarily designed for youngsters (18-25) who are experiencing their first sea voyage and a howling Atlantic gale is probably not the best way of enticing them back.
So we settled into the task of trimming sails and tacking throughout the day and night. Our ‘watch’ – such as it was - ran from around 7am to 11pm. If a tack was required in the middle of the night then the general alarm was sounded and everyone went up on deck to turn the sails. We started with largest – the mainmast – before turning to the foremast and then the mizzenmast. In all we were able to turn the sails and get back up to speed in around 7 minutes. That left the crew tidying up ropes with such neatness even the Team Finland crew would have been proud.
At around 5pm on the first day we had all but stalled in calm seas. The wind picked up overnight and we had a good speed of around 7-8 knots thorough Monday. At one point were accompanied by a sizeable pod of dolphins – the first time I had ever experienced their company in British waters. By the Monday night though, we were screaming along at around 14 knots and all 26 sails working hard. What was staggering at that speed is how solid and stable the boat was. You had to look over the side to confirm you were actually moving. We had a general alarm around 5am on the Tuesday morning with one last turn before we crossed the finish line at 5:38am. We were over two hours ahead of nearest competitor but we felt sure the handicaps would favour The Christian Raddich – and they did!
The cruise into Greenock meant we all had a chance to go up the mast. It never ceases to amaze me how mast climbing is a free climb without being clipped on. Patsy and I both made it to the second level (just over 110 foot above the deck) but were prevented for insurance reasons from climbing further. So we went back down to the first level and out on the yardarm. This I found a little awkward because of my height. The idea is to lean over the yardarm and let the midriff take your weight. That way you use your feet just for balance and your hands are free to collect the sails. But the lower yard arms are so thick I could not quite get my body over enough so my feet took more weight than they should and I never quite got comfortable. Shaking knees don’t help either....
I enjoyed a good spell at the helm and managed to hold it on course accurately enough to please the watch but as with the Lord Nelson, there was a considerable delay between moving the wheel and getting a response out of the rudder. We were also sailing past some small islands so the tide and current added an extra spice to the challenge.
At mealtime, the food was basic but very edible. Most meals came with tea and soup and, as on most boats, favoured carbohydrates. Breakfasts were a little odd and you had to sit with your hand up to get served (note to self – don’t try this at home) but all in all it was very enjoyable. As paying trainees, we were the only ones allowed access to the ships bar and whilst we managed to resist the chilli vodka we did enjoy some traditional Russian Beer on the last night whilst watching a fairly long film on the history of St Petersburg.
July 15th 2011: Reflection of the Mir
The Mir is one of the fastest Class A tall ships in the world. She is one of five similar ships built around the same time in the Gdasnk ship yard in Poland. Notably, a ship of almost identical design is the Polish ship Dar Mlodziezy which also entered the Tall Ships Race from Waterford. The Mir is undoubtedly faster and more competitive and there are two features that explain this. Firstly, after the Dar Mlodziezy was constructed, the Russians asked for a variation on the design which enables the Mir to sail closer to the wind – 30 degrees as opposed to the usual 60 degrees that is familiar to square riggers. Secondly, the lifeboats were removed and, for safety, the deck holds inflatable rafts in case the crew of up to 200 need to abandon ship.
My arrival at Waterford followed a long journey from Southampton; mingling with the ‘standing room only’ commuters to Bristol and then the late night revellers from Swansea to Fishguard. My ferry to Ireland left at 1:30am but I managed to get a good sleep before we docked at 6am. The relatively short bus ride to Waterford saw me arrive mid morning and I reported to the Mir straight away.
I was met by the ships PR officer Natalia who showed me to the cabin. This contained twelve bunks but for this trip there were only four of us. There was Tom from Waterford, Patsy from Clare Island, Ron from Florida and me. It quickly became apparent that the hospitality on board the Mir was not going to be the best in the fleet. The Russians, like the Finns I sailed around the world with, have a strong work ethic and a very competitive nature and it seemed at times that they viewed us four as a hindrance rather than an asset. A view that perhaps mellowed as the week went on – particularly from the younger crew – but meant that we had to be quite assertive to get involved in all the tasks that we had an interest in. We were not allocated to specific watches but we spent most of the day on deck and rose for the ‘all hands on deck’ calls throughout the nights.
There were over 100 crew on board. The permanent crew were largely made up of cadets from the St Petersburg and Lithuanian sailing academies. For this trip they were joined by around 40 trainees from the Stena Line who at least were allocated to watches but found the cultural difficulties as challenging as we did. Still, the cultural experience was quite important for me so I had no real complaints on that score.
The Skipper was Victor Antanov who, at 73, we estimated had been with the academy since he was 16; a staggering 56 years! He seemed a very professional man – very old school Russian. The signs of his strict code of discipline were evident throughout the trip: 10pm curfews for all cadets in port, no drinking on board, meals had to be eaten within 15 minutes and showers taken every other day lasting no more than 3 minutes. In both Waterford and Greenock, cadets were disciplined for being late back from crew parties. Rather annoyingly for us, as the race finished early and all the other boats headed for shore parties, we sailed straight into Greenock and missed all the fun. Oh well, we had our own once we got there!
Having said that, it was a great trip and, like I said, there is a new generation of Russians coming through who are much more sociable to Westerners and their camaraderie – together with the friendship of Tom, Patsy and Ron - made it a memorable trip.
The Mir is one of the fastest Class A tall ships in the world. She is one of five similar ships built around the same time in the Gdasnk ship yard in Poland. Notably, a ship of almost identical design is the Polish ship Dar Mlodziezy which also entered the Tall Ships Race from Waterford. The Mir is undoubtedly faster and more competitive and there are two features that explain this. Firstly, after the Dar Mlodziezy was constructed, the Russians asked for a variation on the design which enables the Mir to sail closer to the wind – 30 degrees as opposed to the usual 60 degrees that is familiar to square riggers. Secondly, the lifeboats were removed and, for safety, the deck holds inflatable rafts in case the crew of up to 200 need to abandon ship.
My arrival at Waterford followed a long journey from Southampton; mingling with the ‘standing room only’ commuters to Bristol and then the late night revellers from Swansea to Fishguard. My ferry to Ireland left at 1:30am but I managed to get a good sleep before we docked at 6am. The relatively short bus ride to Waterford saw me arrive mid morning and I reported to the Mir straight away.
I was met by the ships PR officer Natalia who showed me to the cabin. This contained twelve bunks but for this trip there were only four of us. There was Tom from Waterford, Patsy from Clare Island, Ron from Florida and me. It quickly became apparent that the hospitality on board the Mir was not going to be the best in the fleet. The Russians, like the Finns I sailed around the world with, have a strong work ethic and a very competitive nature and it seemed at times that they viewed us four as a hindrance rather than an asset. A view that perhaps mellowed as the week went on – particularly from the younger crew – but meant that we had to be quite assertive to get involved in all the tasks that we had an interest in. We were not allocated to specific watches but we spent most of the day on deck and rose for the ‘all hands on deck’ calls throughout the nights.
There were over 100 crew on board. The permanent crew were largely made up of cadets from the St Petersburg and Lithuanian sailing academies. For this trip they were joined by around 40 trainees from the Stena Line who at least were allocated to watches but found the cultural difficulties as challenging as we did. Still, the cultural experience was quite important for me so I had no real complaints on that score.
The Skipper was Victor Antanov who, at 73, we estimated had been with the academy since he was 16; a staggering 56 years! He seemed a very professional man – very old school Russian. The signs of his strict code of discipline were evident throughout the trip: 10pm curfews for all cadets in port, no drinking on board, meals had to be eaten within 15 minutes and showers taken every other day lasting no more than 3 minutes. In both Waterford and Greenock, cadets were disciplined for being late back from crew parties. Rather annoyingly for us, as the race finished early and all the other boats headed for shore parties, we sailed straight into Greenock and missed all the fun. Oh well, we had our own once we got there!
Having said that, it was a great trip and, like I said, there is a new generation of Russians coming through who are much more sociable to Westerners and their camaraderie – together with the friendship of Tom, Patsy and Ron - made it a memorable trip.
April 18th 2011: First Tall Ship Trip
Sunday saw my first sail on a Tall Ship as I joined the crew on board Lord Nelson for a day trip in the Solent. The weather was spectacular with good temperatures made bearable by a light sea breeze. Unfortunately, that was as much wind as we got so sailing was secondary to the experience and to the prime objective of finding out how it all works!
We reported to the ship at 8:30am and assembled in the galley area where we were served with a typical sailing breakfast - bacon butties and coffee. We slipped lines while we were having our safety brief and finished that on deck being shown how to put on life jackets in the case of an emergency. My fellow day crew were a great mixture of ages and we were under good leadership from the JST volunteers and the permanent crew. We spent the morning motoring down Southampton Water and headed east into the light breeze past the Hamble estuary and on toward Gosport. We raised the jib and then assembled in small groups to climb up to the first platform on the main mast. The climb was much easier than I imagined as the rungs were attached to the main mast shrouds but approaching the platform you did need to clip on because instead of climbing through a small hatch as I had expected, you actually climbed upside down on to the edge of the platform before hauling yourself up. The descent was much easier.
After an excellent lunch (I was warned the food might not be quite so good on The Mir!) we turned and hoisted the sails on the main and foremast and trimmed them for maximum effect. Unfortunately this only achieved a boat speed of about 2 knots but hey, at least we were moving! I took a spell at the helm at this point and found the 'delay' between turning the wheel and getting a response to be much longer than on the Clippers. But I soon got the hang of it and spent a good 40 minutes or so steering the biggest boat I have driven to date. Unfortunately our slow boat speed was constantly being undermined by the tide and current. There was temporary relief when we dropped the main mast sails (which were shielding the wind on the foremast). That gave us a more efficient sail configuration that took us to the lower reaches of the Test where we finally motored back to our mooring for a 5pm finish.
All in all a very successful day. I managed to climb the mast, helm for a while and helped hoist and trim sails so was pretty active for most of the day which gives me a bit of confidence for the Tall Ships Race in just 10 weeks time!
Sunday saw my first sail on a Tall Ship as I joined the crew on board Lord Nelson for a day trip in the Solent. The weather was spectacular with good temperatures made bearable by a light sea breeze. Unfortunately, that was as much wind as we got so sailing was secondary to the experience and to the prime objective of finding out how it all works!
We reported to the ship at 8:30am and assembled in the galley area where we were served with a typical sailing breakfast - bacon butties and coffee. We slipped lines while we were having our safety brief and finished that on deck being shown how to put on life jackets in the case of an emergency. My fellow day crew were a great mixture of ages and we were under good leadership from the JST volunteers and the permanent crew. We spent the morning motoring down Southampton Water and headed east into the light breeze past the Hamble estuary and on toward Gosport. We raised the jib and then assembled in small groups to climb up to the first platform on the main mast. The climb was much easier than I imagined as the rungs were attached to the main mast shrouds but approaching the platform you did need to clip on because instead of climbing through a small hatch as I had expected, you actually climbed upside down on to the edge of the platform before hauling yourself up. The descent was much easier.
After an excellent lunch (I was warned the food might not be quite so good on The Mir!) we turned and hoisted the sails on the main and foremast and trimmed them for maximum effect. Unfortunately this only achieved a boat speed of about 2 knots but hey, at least we were moving! I took a spell at the helm at this point and found the 'delay' between turning the wheel and getting a response to be much longer than on the Clippers. But I soon got the hang of it and spent a good 40 minutes or so steering the biggest boat I have driven to date. Unfortunately our slow boat speed was constantly being undermined by the tide and current. There was temporary relief when we dropped the main mast sails (which were shielding the wind on the foremast). That gave us a more efficient sail configuration that took us to the lower reaches of the Test where we finally motored back to our mooring for a 5pm finish.
All in all a very successful day. I managed to climb the mast, helm for a while and helped hoist and trim sails so was pretty active for most of the day which gives me a bit of confidence for the Tall Ships Race in just 10 weeks time!
February 11th 2011: A Mir Setback
The Kaliakra has been forced to withdraw from the Tall Ships Race 2011. In a statement on their web site they announce that “Unfortunately under very strong financial reasons we were forced to cancel all abroad sailings and regattas of Kaliakra for season 2011. We do sorry we can't be together, wish you all fair winds and hope we will meet again in 2012.”
Following a short email exchange, I was able to establish that there are a number of other vessels inviting applications from trainees including the Russian tall ship Mir. My application has now been accepted and contracts exchanged so I’m just hoping there are no more changes before the big race! The Mir, like the Kaliakra, was designed by Polish naval architect Zygmunt Choreń and built in the Gdansk shipyard in Poland. Launched in 1987 she is a three masted fully rigged ship and is widely recognised as one of the fastest in her class. Mir is Russian for world or peace and she is one of 6 similar ships designed by Choreń. She is owned by the Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy in St Petersburg with a permanent crew of up to 144 cadets. As many as 55 trainees will be joining the vessel for the Tall Ships Race and whilst the maximum capacity is 199 crew, che can be quite safely sailed with as few as 30 on board. The Mir was the outright winner of the Tall Ships Race in 1996. 1997, 1998, 2003 and 2004.
The Kaliakra has been forced to withdraw from the Tall Ships Race 2011. In a statement on their web site they announce that “Unfortunately under very strong financial reasons we were forced to cancel all abroad sailings and regattas of Kaliakra for season 2011. We do sorry we can't be together, wish you all fair winds and hope we will meet again in 2012.”
Following a short email exchange, I was able to establish that there are a number of other vessels inviting applications from trainees including the Russian tall ship Mir. My application has now been accepted and contracts exchanged so I’m just hoping there are no more changes before the big race! The Mir, like the Kaliakra, was designed by Polish naval architect Zygmunt Choreń and built in the Gdansk shipyard in Poland. Launched in 1987 she is a three masted fully rigged ship and is widely recognised as one of the fastest in her class. Mir is Russian for world or peace and she is one of 6 similar ships designed by Choreń. She is owned by the Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy in St Petersburg with a permanent crew of up to 144 cadets. As many as 55 trainees will be joining the vessel for the Tall Ships Race and whilst the maximum capacity is 199 crew, che can be quite safely sailed with as few as 30 on board. The Mir was the outright winner of the Tall Ships Race in 1996. 1997, 1998, 2003 and 2004.
February 3rd 2011: Different Types of Tall Ship
A tall ship is a large traditionally rigged sailing vessel – often featuring square sails that are good for downwind sailing but less so for sailing into the wind. Notwithstanding, Schooners are still considered in the tall ship category with two (or more) masts supporting fore and aft sails and a bowsprit; the forward mast being no taller than the rear..
A brigantine is a 2 masted vessel with square rigging on the foremast as opposed to a brig which is square rigged on both masts. A barquentine has 3 or more masts with only the foremast square rigged; the main, mizzen and any other masts being rigged fore and aft . A barque has 3 or more masts with fore and aft sails on the rear mast and square sails on the remaining masts. A fully rigged ship is therefore square rigged on all masts. The clippers were fully rigged ships but the distinctively wide bows and slightly raked forward.
The ultimate sailing ship is the windjammer which was used commercially right up to the 1950’s. The hull is made of steel or iron to carry cargo and there are up to 6 masts with square rigging. They were so economic to run, there are plans to re-introduce them over the next few years as a means of tackling the global fuel crisis. Pictured is the German windjammer, Passat (meaning ‘tradewind’ ). She is one of the last surviving windjammers from the 1950’s. In her later years she was used in the grain trade from South Australia to Europe and took part in the last Great Grain Race in 1949 from Port Victoria round the Cape Horn to Europe. All in all she sailed around Cape Horn a staggering 39 times. She was decommissioned in 1957 and is now a landmark moored at Travemünde, a borough of Lübeck in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein.
A tall ship is a large traditionally rigged sailing vessel – often featuring square sails that are good for downwind sailing but less so for sailing into the wind. Notwithstanding, Schooners are still considered in the tall ship category with two (or more) masts supporting fore and aft sails and a bowsprit; the forward mast being no taller than the rear..
A brigantine is a 2 masted vessel with square rigging on the foremast as opposed to a brig which is square rigged on both masts. A barquentine has 3 or more masts with only the foremast square rigged; the main, mizzen and any other masts being rigged fore and aft . A barque has 3 or more masts with fore and aft sails on the rear mast and square sails on the remaining masts. A fully rigged ship is therefore square rigged on all masts. The clippers were fully rigged ships but the distinctively wide bows and slightly raked forward.
The ultimate sailing ship is the windjammer which was used commercially right up to the 1950’s. The hull is made of steel or iron to carry cargo and there are up to 6 masts with square rigging. They were so economic to run, there are plans to re-introduce them over the next few years as a means of tackling the global fuel crisis. Pictured is the German windjammer, Passat (meaning ‘tradewind’ ). She is one of the last surviving windjammers from the 1950’s. In her later years she was used in the grain trade from South Australia to Europe and took part in the last Great Grain Race in 1949 from Port Victoria round the Cape Horn to Europe. All in all she sailed around Cape Horn a staggering 39 times. She was decommissioned in 1957 and is now a landmark moored at Travemünde, a borough of Lübeck in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein.
January 22nd 2011: Tall Ships Entry Confirmed
I now know that I will be sailing on the STV Kaliakra (Калиакра) when I take part in leg 1 of the Tall Ships Race 2011. The Kaliakra is a barquantine ship built in 1984 at the Gdasnk shipyard in Poland and is believed to be a reproduction of a vessel bearing the same name from just before the 1st World War. In fact it is one of three almost identical ships designed by Polish naval architect, Zygmunt Choreń and built in Gdasnk; the others being STS Pogoria (1980) and ORP Iskra II (1982). The 52 metre STV Kaliakra is owned and operated by the Bulgarian Maritime Training Centre and is one of the fastest tall ships in the world. She took part in the Columbus race in 1992 where 143 ships commemorated the 5th centenary of the discovery of America. She crossed the Atlantic twice securing second position overall. She also finished third in the 2010 Tall Ships Historical Seas event.
The maximum crew is 49 with 13 being permanent crew and the remainder made up of trainees from a wide variety of countries. I will be joining the STV Kaliakra in Waterford on 3 July and will race with them to Greenock where we are expected to arrive around 9th July.
I now know that I will be sailing on the STV Kaliakra (Калиакра) when I take part in leg 1 of the Tall Ships Race 2011. The Kaliakra is a barquantine ship built in 1984 at the Gdasnk shipyard in Poland and is believed to be a reproduction of a vessel bearing the same name from just before the 1st World War. In fact it is one of three almost identical ships designed by Polish naval architect, Zygmunt Choreń and built in Gdasnk; the others being STS Pogoria (1980) and ORP Iskra II (1982). The 52 metre STV Kaliakra is owned and operated by the Bulgarian Maritime Training Centre and is one of the fastest tall ships in the world. She took part in the Columbus race in 1992 where 143 ships commemorated the 5th centenary of the discovery of America. She crossed the Atlantic twice securing second position overall. She also finished third in the 2010 Tall Ships Historical Seas event.
The maximum crew is 49 with 13 being permanent crew and the remainder made up of trainees from a wide variety of countries. I will be joining the STV Kaliakra in Waterford on 3 July and will race with them to Greenock where we are expected to arrive around 9th July.
January 4th 2011: Introduction to Square Riggers
With no sailing experience before my participation in the Clipper Round the World Race, it is important to me to get some experience on a square rigger before the Tall Ships Race leaves Waterford on 3 July 2011. I am very fortunate to be sailing on the Lord Nelson in April with volunteers of the Jubilee Sailing Trust. The STS Lord Nelson is a 3 masted barque that has been specially designed and constructed to allow disabled and able bodied crew to sail side by side on equal terms. Each able bodied crew member is ‘buddied up’ with a disabled crew member and they work together and look after each other for the duration of the voyage. More than half of the disabled crew suffer from cerebral palsy so there is a strong connection with our nominated charity, the Rainbow Centre for Conductive Education.
The Lord Nelson took two years to build and first sailed down Southampton Water in 1986. She is one of two similar vessels operated by the Jubilee Sailing Trust – the other being the SV Tenacious, which was built in Southampton in 2000. Both vessels feature lifts between decks, power assisted and joystick steering, a speaking compass, powered hoists (enabling disabled crew to be lifted into the rigging) and a variety of other facilities to make it a fully inclusive sailing experience.
Full details of the STS Lord Nelson, and other vessels will be posted on the ‘fleet’ pages in due course. We will be updating other pages as well to cover the route of the 2011 race and some details of the participating ports.
With no sailing experience before my participation in the Clipper Round the World Race, it is important to me to get some experience on a square rigger before the Tall Ships Race leaves Waterford on 3 July 2011. I am very fortunate to be sailing on the Lord Nelson in April with volunteers of the Jubilee Sailing Trust. The STS Lord Nelson is a 3 masted barque that has been specially designed and constructed to allow disabled and able bodied crew to sail side by side on equal terms. Each able bodied crew member is ‘buddied up’ with a disabled crew member and they work together and look after each other for the duration of the voyage. More than half of the disabled crew suffer from cerebral palsy so there is a strong connection with our nominated charity, the Rainbow Centre for Conductive Education.
The Lord Nelson took two years to build and first sailed down Southampton Water in 1986. She is one of two similar vessels operated by the Jubilee Sailing Trust – the other being the SV Tenacious, which was built in Southampton in 2000. Both vessels feature lifts between decks, power assisted and joystick steering, a speaking compass, powered hoists (enabling disabled crew to be lifted into the rigging) and a variety of other facilities to make it a fully inclusive sailing experience.
Full details of the STS Lord Nelson, and other vessels will be posted on the ‘fleet’ pages in due course. We will be updating other pages as well to cover the route of the 2011 race and some details of the participating ports.
January 2nd 2011: The Tall Ships Race 2011
The Tall Ships Race was first held in 1956 as a sort of farewell to the last 20 remaining large sailing ships. It’s popularity was so great however, that the race has been held every year since in some part of the world – now exclusively in Northern Europe. Nowadays, the term ‘tall ship’ is defined as any monohull sailing vessel of 30 feet or more used for training. Half of the crew must be young people between 15 and 25 years who are not required to have any sailing experience. The tall ships that take part are mainly operated by training organisations and navies of Northern European countries.
For me, this is the perfect opportunity to take my sailing off in a slightly different direction and to build on the experience of the Clipper 09-10 race. It is my intention to take part in the first leg of the 2011 race from Waterford in Ireland to Greenock in Scotland.
The Tall Ships Race was first held in 1956 as a sort of farewell to the last 20 remaining large sailing ships. It’s popularity was so great however, that the race has been held every year since in some part of the world – now exclusively in Northern Europe. Nowadays, the term ‘tall ship’ is defined as any monohull sailing vessel of 30 feet or more used for training. Half of the crew must be young people between 15 and 25 years who are not required to have any sailing experience. The tall ships that take part are mainly operated by training organisations and navies of Northern European countries.
For me, this is the perfect opportunity to take my sailing off in a slightly different direction and to build on the experience of the Clipper 09-10 race. It is my intention to take part in the first leg of the 2011 race from Waterford in Ireland to Greenock in Scotland.