Header trainee

Join a sailing adventure on a Tall Ship and set course for new horizons!

Klaipéda (LT) - Szczecin (PL)

31 July - 07 August 2017

7 days, Gallant

From € 680,-

Book this journey

International Exchange Tall Ships Races Sail Training

15-25 : € 680,-
25+: € 880,-

Book this journey

Gallant:
Klaipéda (LT) - Szczecin (PL)

31 July - 07 August 2017

Tall Ships Races 2017 Race 3. International exchange for all ages. Join the Gallant on the Race from Klaipeda to Szczecin. This is a Sail Training Journey with Racing and enjoying the festivities in the ports. Meet your fellow Windseekers from different countries, and after a brief instruction you’re on your way, racing against other famous Tall Ships! On board you participate in the daily working of the ship alongside professional seamen, manning the helm, helping in the galley, hoisting the sails. Sail and meet exciting people of different ages and backgrounds from all over the world! For all Windseekers, minimum age 15 years.

Programme Outline

The Tall Ships Races is the biggest annual sailing race of the year. The 2017 edition will be the 61st event and is scheduled to take place on the Baltic Sea, in 5 ports in 4 different countries. Join Race 3 from Lithuania to Poland, where the finishing celebrations will take place. Take part in Crew Parties and Crew Parades, and the award ceremony. Meet sailors from many countries and exchange your sea stories. You might even make lifelong friendships – and for sure, lifelong memories!

As a Windseeker Trainee on board the Gallant you will be a part of the crew, meaning you will join your peers on watches day and night, and take active part in the life on the ship. You’ll be hoisting sails, steering the ship, practicing seamanship skills and learning the art of navigation, guided by the professional crew. And you will sail to win the race!

Ports

Klaipéda is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. The city has many maritime traditions - it even hosts its own Sea Festival in July! - and its architecture bears influences from several different cultures (French, German, Swedish). Take a walk down the Friedricho pasažas, visit the reconstructed Meridianas ship, find the quirky Golden Mouse sculpture and visit the Clock Museum.

Szczecin in North-Western Poland has a deep commitment to sail training. Discover the Underground City Trails: a network of bunkers from WWII with their unique atmosphere. If you're more of an outdorsy type, take a canoe along the Odra river or explore Bukowe Hills which hide the ruins of old bridges and are home to numerous boars and deer. Visit one of many museums or the Castle of Pomeranian Dukes or the beautiful rose gardens.

  • Klaipéda (LT)

  • Szczecin (PL)

Key points

  • Dates: 31 July 2017 - 7 August 2017
  • Embarkation: 17:00 / Disembarkation: 9:00
  • For Windseekers of all ages, minimum age 15 years
  • Windseekers joining: maximum of 16
  • No sailing experience required!
  • Official language on board: English and Dutch
  • Price includes: accommodation and meals, excludes drinks at the bar
  • Price excludes transportation costs to-and from the ports. Our travel counsellor can advise you and book your transfers
  • One-off registration fee €25
  • Windseekers need to have a health insurance and a travel insurance
  • Need to take with you on board: sleeping bags and towels
  • Contact your fellow-Windseekers via Windseeker facebook
  • You will sleep in a hammock/bunk/cabin
  • "It was an absolute joy to steer for hours when the wind was blowing, and even when it was completely dead. I loved to see the sea, I loved the silence of the ocean."

    Barnabas (22), Hungary

You sail on the Gallant

Shipping type: Schooner
Homeport: Douarnenez (FR)
Date built: 1916
Trainees: 12
Length: 27,20m
Height of mast: 27,75m
Sail: 415 m2

Life on board Gallant is a great discovery for any trainee. Teamwork is necessary to handle the huge sails or perform any maneuver, and most of the time leads to friendship. The Ship’s very friendly, competent and welcoming crew will …

Read more

Windseeker logs

  • Morgenster EU-Exchange 1

    Morgenster, July 2015

    Belfast - Alesund

    – by Jack (20) and Arnoud (27)

    Our final day in the harbour was marked by a delightfully late breakfast, allowing everybody a proper recovery from the festivities of the prior day. The day was marked by the first happy hour of the journey, where every watch …

    Read log
  • Sustainable sailing: plastic research in 2023

    Gulden Leeuw, Thalassa, July 2023

    – by Maarten Erich, The Ocean Movement

    The Ocean Movement Foundation We are on a mission to stop plastic pollution from ending up in our ocean. With the Manta trawl, we are gathering data on microplastic pollution in the waters that we sail in. Together with the trainees …

    Read log

Photos

  • Trainees
  • Trainee

OTHER JOURNEYS YOU MIGHT LIKE