Apart from Gdynia, the host ports of the 2009 Races will be Sankt Petersburg (Russia), Turku (Finland) and Klaipeda (Lithuania).
"The Tall Ships' Races 2009" - the characteristics
"The Tall Ships' Races" are organised annually in European waters during the summer holidays. Each year 70-100 vessels from 15-20 countries participate in the event, with crews of nearly 6,000 young people from over 30 countries all over the world. "The Tall Ships' Races" are organised by Sail Training International (STI), an international charity association seated in Great Britain.
STI's goal is to promote the education and development of young people of all nationalities, religions or social backgrounds by sail training. STI owns a daughter organisation The Tall Ships' Races (Europe) Limited, which was established to organise and administer "The Tall Ships' Races". The founding members of the Sail Training International are national sail training organisations from Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Canada, Latvia, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Italy, Great Britain and the USA.
In 2009, for the fifty-third time, the fleet of sailing ships manned by a trainee crew will compete in the Baltic Sea. For some of the young people, participation in the Races will be the beginning of their careers as seamen, but for most of them the Races will be a unique experience which, apart from the sailing aspect, has a social dimension as well. Because what really matters in the young people's sailing efforts is the ability to discover and overcome their weaknesses and limitations, their ability to accept and integrate with other crew members and participants representing different countries, traditions and cultures. Therefore, an important part of the Races is the 'cruise-in-company' race, where young people can sail on another vessel and thus meet new friends, get acquainted with their traditions and pick up some of their languages.
"The Tall Ships' Races" teach the principles of giving and taking, necessary for common sailing, the art of sharing difficulties and hazards of the sea voyage, while reaching the destination safely is a source of deep satisfaction. Another element of the process of learning is to realise that the limits of human endurance lie farther away than one could ever imagine. Therefore, participation in the Races is a school of character in every respect.
The participants are not the only ones to draw most favourable experience and impressions. Millions of people come to the ports to see the vessels. The sight of tall ships so easily travelling across the seas breeds a desire for travelling a long way from home and nostalgia for the past, when such sights were the usual thing.
It is estimated that during "The Tall Ships' Races 2009" nearly one hundred yachts and tall ships with about 3,000 young people on board will visit Gdynia.
"The Tall Ships' Races"- the history
In 1955, Bernard Morgan, a London lawyer, suggested to First Lord of Admiralty organising training sail ships' races. The idea gained the patronage of the Duke of Edinburgh, and only a year later twenty one tall ships from different countries, including Great Britain, Norway, Sweden and Portugal, took part in the race from Torbay to Lisbon.
The event was such a success that race organisers founded the Sail Training Association (STA), later transformed into Sail Training International. Thus the idea of "sail training" was born, together with races which in 1972, when for the first time they were sponsored by Cutty Sark Scotch whisky, were named "The Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Races". Although the sponsorship ended in 2002, the 2003 Gdynia Races were still held under the name of "Cutty Sark". During the Races, Gdynia for a few days hosted over 120 sailing ships from such countries as Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Lithuania, Italy, Finland and even Mexico. Each of the vessels was available for the public to visit. There were also many public activities, like shanty festivals or a colourful street parade of the crews. Some 1.200.000 visitors came to Gdynia during the Races. Since 2004 the Races have been held under the name of "The Tall Ships' Races".
Polish participation in "The Tall Ships' Races"
In 1972, after a dramatic race, Dar Pomorza won "The Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Races". Thanks to this victory, two years later, for the first time in history, the ship's home port, Gdynia, was the host of the Races close-down.
The following years saw more successes of Polish sail ships. ORP Iskra and Pogoria won the principal award of the races, i.e. the Cutty Sark Trophy, a silver model of the clipper, awarded by the captains and crews of the participating vessels for "international communication". In 1994 and 2001, Dar Młodzieży won the equally prestigious award - the Cape Horn Trophy - for the victory among the largest vessels.
In 2009, Poland (for the sixth time) and Gdynia (for the forth time) will host "The Tall Ships' Races". The following Polish cities had (or will have) the honour of organising the Races:
1974 Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Races (Gdynia)
1992 Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Races (Gdynia)
2000 Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Races (Gdańsk)
2003 Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Races (Gdynia)
2007 The Tall Ships' Races (Szczecin)
2009 The Tall Ships' Races (Gdynia)
Opublikowano: 06.05.2009 00:00
Autor: Lidia Rumel-Czarnowska (l.rumel-czarnowska@gdynia.pl.deleted)
