During summer 2023, we will sail the Tall Ships Races 2023 to Lerwick!

Tall Ships Races 2023 11.10.2022

During summer 2023, we will sail the Tall Ships Races 2023 to Lerwick!

The Tall Ships Races 2023

With the Tall Ships Races, we mainly bring young people together to connect with each other and form international friendships. The aim is to encourage self-development and mutual respect, regardless of nationality or social background.

After the very positive experience of the Tall Ships Races 2022, we will also participate in this event with tallship Saeftinghe during the summer of 2023.

 

The conditions for participation

The event is intended to bring young people together but this does not mean that adults cannot embark. 50% of the people on board must be aged between 15 and 25 years (if you were born between July 1997 and August 2007, you meet the conditions). If you are younger from 15 years old at the start of the race you wish to sign up for, unfortunately you will not be able to participate. This is not allowed by the organisation because of the festivities that are organised in all ports.

If you wish to take part as a young person alone or with a friend, parents,...this is also possible as long as the number of young people is 50% of the total number of participants.

You can sail one or more stages, depending on what you want.

The route and the programme

Race 1: Den Helder (Netherlands) - Hartlepool (UK)


On 30/06, you will be boarded tallship Saeftinghe in Den Helder during the day. You will enjoy a few more days of the event in the Netherlands which will also allow you to make contacts with the other ships already. The crew parade, the crew party,... these are all on the programme.  On Saturday 1 July, the captain, Mike Celis, has his birthday and on Sunday 2 July, all ships set sail for Hartlepool on the English north-east coast. 4 days later, by 6 July, we will be expected in Hartlepool at the latest and the festivities of Tall Ships Races will start. After the crew parade and crew party, you can disembark in the morning of Saturday 08/07/2022 if you do not participate in the next leg.

All practical info of this leg can be found here.

Race 2: Hartlepool (UK) - Frederikstad (Norway)


For this leg with tallship Saeftinghe, we expect you to board the ship on 08/07 during the day. After you are installed, you can still enjoy the other ships and the festivities in Hartlepool. On 9 July, all ships will set sail for Frederikstad where we are expected 6 days later at the latest. Also in Frederikstad the festivities will start including a crew parade, crew party, captain's dinner, sports and culture,... If you disembark after this leg, you will disembark on 17/07 in the morning.

All practical info of this leg can be found here.

Cruise in Company: Frederikstad - Lerwick


The word says it all. No race or course in this leg but a pleasant trip along the Norwegian coast and crossing to the Shetland Islands. From the organisation, several events are organised along the way for this cruise in company and we also regularly meet the other ships. With the Belgian ships, we do try to make calls at the same ports, although we are free to choose this.

On 17/07, you will board in Frederikstad during the day. You will have the opportunity to visit the other ships afterwards. Sunday 18/07, after the safety briefing and getting everything in order, we will leave Frederikstad for another nice destination on the Norwegian coast. Via the coast, we continue sailing west and regularly moor. As soon as weather permits, we will cross over to the Shetland Islands. Depending on the time we have, we will visit another beautiful bay or moor at a nice place. On 17/07 at the latest, we are expected in Lerwick, the capital of the Shetland Islands. Here again we will enjoy the festivities organised for the participants of the Tall Ships Races such as a Captain's dinner, crew party, crew parade, sports and cultural activities.... If you do not continue with us to the Faroe Islands, you can disembark during the morning of 28/07.

All info on this leg can be found here.

Lerwick (UK) - Thorshavn (Faroe Islands) (Not part of the actual Tall Ships Races)


Because we will organise 3 to 4 sailing/walking weeks during August with tallship Saeftinghe, we will leave the Tall Ships Races in Lerwick. If you register for this leg you will come on board on 28/07 during the day. We will leave Lerwick harbour with the other ships during the Sail Out on 29/07 but instead of turning our bow towards Arendal we will stay for a while in the Shetland Islands, depending on the weather, where we can visit some bays or villages. As soon as the weather permits, we will set sail for Thorshavn and cross a piece of the North Atlantic. This crossing takes about two days on an ocean rich in birds, whales and other marine life. Depending on the crossing, we will do some touring in the Faroe Islands. By 03/08 at the latest, we want to be in Thorshavn so you still have time to visit the capital of the Faroe Islands. On 05/08 you will disembark in the morning. Important to know is that participants of the last leg of the Tall Ships Races can stay on board at a strongly reduced rate. 

All info on this leg can be found here.



Join us as a trainee

If you participate in this event as a young person, you are "a trainee". What exactly is this, a trainee?

Experience


Are you a beginning sailor, do you already have experience or is it your first time at sea? Maybe it is even your first contact with sailing? Together with other young people, you will make a journey across the sea on T/S Saeftinghe. The experience you will gain will be with you for the rest of your life. You will learn how to sail and navigate along the way. An experienced crew is present who are happy to share their knowledge and experience. Experience is not necessary. We do expect you to be willing to work together, to hoist the sails, to cook together, to keep watch and all this under the guidance of an experienced crew.

Register


The first "real" step you have to do as a trainee to participate in this adventure is to register. As soon as you have registered your registration you can confirm your participation. You can register or log in via this link.

Preparation


A good preparation is important. As captain and crew we like to get to know you before you get on board. We therefore invite you to visit the ship and get to know the captain and crew before your departure. This way you can walk around the ship, explore and we can already give you a basis of information, we will answer your questions as fully as possible. We take you along for the ride so you are already ready for life on a sailing ship. We will do this introduction during Ostend at Anchor (weekend of 21 and 22 May) in which T/S Saeftinghe also participates.

What we expect


A sailing ship at sea sails day and night. In order to maintain this permanence, we work in four shifts led by an experienced watch commander. These 'teams' are on watch at fixed times:

  • Team 1: 08.00h to 11.00h and 20.00h to 23.00h.
  • Team 2: 11.00h to 14.00h and 23.00h to 02.00h.
  • Team 3: 14.00h to 17.00h and from 02.00h to 05.00h.
  • Team 1: 17.00h to 20.00h and from 05.00h to 08.00h.

During these watches you will be in charge of the navigation, steering the ship and keeping a lookout.

Apart from guard duties we also cook, maintain the ship and take time to rest, read and talk to each other. A day at sea will not be boring quickly!

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