the hitory of the tall ships race
Tall ships epitomise our maritime history. Before the power of steam, tall ships were used as merchant vessels in medieval times. Although Britain has not been successfully invaded since 1066, the Viking invasion of 1069 and the invasion by the French in 1216 - where they landed unopposed at Sandwich - illustrated perfectly the need for a naval force to defend Britain. The Royal Navy subsequently became the most powerful Navy in the world using Tall Ships right up 1822 when HMS Comet enabled the Royal Navy to follow the USA into the age of steam. Tall ships continued to be used as commercial vessels right up to the 1950's and may well have disappeared completely were it not for their use as training vessels for various navies around the world.
It was in 1953 that a London solicitor by the name of Bernard Morgan came up with the idea of bringing together young cadets from around the world in a competitive race using tall training ships. With the help of the Portuguese ambassador to the UK, Pedro Teotónio Pereira, the first ever Tall ships Race was held in 1956.
The 2023 event is a race of 3 legs from Den Helder to Arendal with stops at Hartlepool, Fredrikstad and Lerwick. A fourth leg (Frrikstad to Lerwick) would be difficult to race as it would be into the prevailing winds so is being used as a 'cruise in company' leg.
It was in 1953 that a London solicitor by the name of Bernard Morgan came up with the idea of bringing together young cadets from around the world in a competitive race using tall training ships. With the help of the Portuguese ambassador to the UK, Pedro Teotónio Pereira, the first ever Tall ships Race was held in 1956.
The 2023 event is a race of 3 legs from Den Helder to Arendal with stops at Hartlepool, Fredrikstad and Lerwick. A fourth leg (Frrikstad to Lerwick) would be difficult to race as it would be into the prevailing winds so is being used as a 'cruise in company' leg.
2023 Race
The 2023 event is a race of 3 legs from Den Helder to Arundel with stops at Hartlepool, Fredrikstad and Lerwick. A fourth leg (Fredrikstad to Lerwick) would be difficult to race as it would be into the prevailing winds so is being used as a 'cruise in company' leg. I will be joining Tenacious in Lerwick on 27th July for the last leg to Arendal which should take less than 7 days. With luck the wind will be aft of beam giving us good speed and a decent chance of a respectable finish.
There will be over 30 ships and boats taking part over the whole race with over 1000 competitors from all over Europe and as far afield as Russia, Uruguay and Indonesia.
There will be over 30 ships and boats taking part over the whole race with over 1000 competitors from all over Europe and as far afield as Russia, Uruguay and Indonesia.