The Tall Ships Races 2022 are coming 16.2.2022

The Tall Ship Races

This summer, the Tall Ships Races are on our programme. 

First of all, it is important to know what the purpose of these races is, which is to bring young people together for a moment of development and education combined with living together on a sailing ship and at sea. The Tall Ships Races are there to give young people the opportunity to gain a life experience and were created to promote international friendships and encourage mutual understanding and respect.

The 2022 edition is the first since 2018 to bring the world's largest sailing ships back to the North Sea.

 

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

The actual Tall Ships Races consist of 3 stages this year. However, we start from Oostende for the run-up to the Tall Ships Races so Arruno Exploration has 4 stages.

  1. On 1 July, the captain's birthday by the way, we leave for Esbjerg in Denmark, participants will board on 30/06 in the evening. A trip that will take us non-stop over the North Sea to Denmark. Depending on the weather it will take us 3 to 5 days to get to Esbjerg in time for the first festivities. If we are extremely quick, we will explore the region while sailing. From 6 July onwards, most of the participants will enter Esbjerg. On 7 July, the Tall Ships Races will officially start, so you will be able to see the opening ceremony if you disembark on 8 July. All details and the programme for this leg can be found via this link.
  2. For the second leg (Race 1), you can embark during the day from 8 July. That way you can enjoy all the festivities in Esbjerg before we set sail for Harlingen. All details and the programme of this leg can be found via this link. This leg will last until 16 July when you will leave the ship in the morning.
  3. The third leg is a "Cruise in company". On 16 July you will board the ship during the day and a few days later the whole fleet will leave Harlingen. Sail Training Association Netherlands has drawn up a nice programme with several stops along the IJselmeer and the Dutch coast. In every port where we stop, there are various activities. Five days after our departure the whole fleet is expected in Antwerp where Sail Antwerp will start. All details and the programme of this leg can be found via this link. On 24 July you will leave the ship in Antwerp in the morning.
  4. The last, and longest, leg (Race 2) will take us back to Denmark. You will embark in Antwerp during the day on 24 July so that you can enjoy another full day of Sail Antwerp and all its activities. On 26 July we leave Antwerp via the Scheldt, which brings us back to the North Sea. We set course for the Kattegat, the strait between Norway and Denmark, after which we enter the Baltic Sea and can call at Aalborg. From the 4th of August, the festivities will start again in Aalborg. On 6 August, there is the closing ceremony of these Tall Ships Races, after which you will go home on 8 August. All details and the programme of this leg can be found via this link

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!

The crew that assists you

Depending on the stages and the number of participants, there are 2 or 3 other crew members in addition to the captain. The crew are the people on board who help to ensure that these voyages run smoothly and safely. They are experienced sailors who can give the necessary explanation about the nautical events at sea, from navigation, to regulations and life on board...

These crew members are used as watch captains and lead a team of 2 to 3 trainees during the whole voyage. Each team has its own watch officer.

Transport to and from ports

Arruno Exploration does not arrange transport to and from the ports of departure/arrival, this must be arranged by yourself. Once you have registered we will send you a list of transport possibilities to these different cities. During the meeting (Ostend at Anchor) we will see if you can set up a joint transport so that you do not have to come alone if you wish.

Join Arruno Exploration and stay informed!