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 youths, 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. However, we do expect you to be willing to work together, to hoist the sails, to cook together, to keep watch, all under the supervision of an experienced crew.

Age

The Tall Ships Races are created to give young people the opportunity to gain a life experience and to promote international friendships and encourage mutual understanding and respect. 

You must be at least 15 years old and no more than 25 years old on the day of departure. If you were born between July 1998 and August 2008, you meet the requirements.

Are you over 25 and do you wish to participate? This is possible as long as 50% of the crew consists of youngsters between 15 and 25 years old.

Register

The first "real" step you have to do as a trainee to participate in this adventure is to register. Once you have registered you can confirm your participation. You can register or log in here.

Preparation
A good preparation is important. As captain and crew we like to get acquainted 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 (from the 23th till the 26th of May 2024) 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 three shifts led by an experienced watchofficer. These 'teams' keep watch and they follow one another:

• Team 1: 09.00h till 12.00h 
• Team 2: 12.00h till 15.00h 
• Team 3: 15.00h till 18.00h 
• Team 1: 18.00h till 21.00h 
• Team 2: ...

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!

How to get to and from Mariehamn?

By Air:

Located just outside the city is Mariehamn airport. To the airport can you arrive from Finland or Sweden.
From the airport can you either take a taxi to the center of Mariehamn or take a 4 km walk in soothing
surroundings. (https://www.finavia.fi/en/airports/mariehamn)

There are direct flights from Helsinki and Stockholm to Mariehamn. (https://www.finnair.com/)

By Ferry:

The Åland Islands have several harbours and a regular ferry traffic. You can arrive to Åland with ferry
from Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. Depending on which ferry line you choose will you arrive either to
the central harbour in Mariehamn or to Långnäs or Berghamn. From Långnäs and Berghamn regular
coaches are available to Mariehamn.

Useful websites:
www.vikinline.ax
www.eckerolinjen.ax
www.tallinksilja.fi

We also recommend following page for as a single point of contact for your overall travel arrangements
to Åland: www.axtours.ax

How to get back home from Szczecin?

By Air:

Szczecin’s airport is called Szczecin-Goleniow (SZZ) and is placed about 40 km away from the city. It has
basic connections to principal Polish cities (incl. Warsaw) and to other countries.
Visit http://www.airport.com.pl/en for more airport information.

There is a shuttle and train service to and from Szczecin airport. The railway terminal is situated next to
the airport and a trip from Szczecin takes about 40 minutes. The train will take you to and from Szczecin
and Kołobrzeg.
For more information visit http://www.airport.com.pl/en/transport-and-parking/

The other airport which is the closest to Szczecin is Berlin Brandenburg airport (www.berlin-airport.de/)
which provides most European and worldwide connections. There is shuttle service to/from Szczecin
http://www.berlinia.net/en/, http://pksszczecin.info/przewozy_pasazerskie.php and train service
https://www.interrail.eu/en

By Train:

Szczecin has two main railway stations: Szczecin Glowny (Szczecin Central) – networks to and from here
cover the north-western to south-western part of the city and Szczecin Dabie covers the north-eastern to
south-eastern part, although both are located on the same railway line. From both stations passengers
can go all over Poland and abroad (Germany). There is local, region and express trains with abundant daily
arrivals and departures.

For more information visit https://www.interrail.eu/en

By Road:

Highway A6 (European Route E28 and E65) connect Szczecin with Berlin (West) and Swinoujscie (North –
ferries to Sweden and Denmark) and Poznan, Warsaw (South-East) and Wroclaw (South). In this part of
Poland, they are toll free. The general speed limit is 90 km/h, highways 140 km/h and urban area 50 km/h
- but it is imperative to check the road signs and drive with the correct speed. Headlights must always be
switched on. Seat belts are compulsory (front and rear). Mobile phones may be used only with a
headset/hands-free system while driving.

Web services for drivers: https://www.gddkia.gov.pl/en/27/about-directorate

Public Transport in Szczecin:

Buses and tramways connect every city district and enables fast and safe communication. Some of the
routes connect neighbourhood communes and villages. There are daytime bus (including express buses)
and tram lines and night lines (buses only). Every line has its own detailed schedule. Every stop has info
about passing lines and detailed schedule. The stops in the city centre have electronic displays giving time
elapsed to next bus or tram.
Schedule: https://www.zditm.szczecin.pl/en/passenger/timetables,by-line?setlang=en
Maps of the routes: https://www.zditm.szczecin.pl/en/passenger/network-maps?setlang=en
Important information: all crew members can use all kinds of public transport in Szczecin for free.