Header trainee

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

Aalborg (DK) - Fredrikstad (NO)

05 July - 13 July 2019

8 days, Gulden Leeuw

From € 795,-

Book this journey

International Exchange Tall Ships Races Sail Training

15-25 : € 795,-
26-28: € 935,-

Book this journey

Gulden Leeuw:
Aalborg (DK) - Fredrikstad (NO)

05 July - 13 July 2019

Tall Ships Races: Race 1 – International Exchange for all nationalities aged 15-25. Board the majestic Tall Ship Gulden Leeuw (Golden Lion) in Aalborg for this international journey. You will sail together with young people from different countries and get to know their cultures, as well as learning how to sail a Tall Ship. Join sail training activities, including setting and trimming the sails, steering and navigating – and if you want, you can also climb the masts or help out in the engine room! Enjoy your time on board, learning from professional crew and making friends with other trainees. For Windseekers age 15-25 years only. Places for trainees aged 26-28 at request.

Programme Outline

Once again in 2019 the Tall Ships from all over the world will come together to compete in the 63rd annual Tall Ships Races. Race 1 will take you from Denmark to Norway. You will leave the city of Aalborg in a spectacular Parade of Sail, before embarking on an exciting race. After a few days on the open sea you will reach Fredrikstad where you will join your fellow trainees from other Ships in Crew Parade, Crew Party, friendly competitions and visiting other vessels.

As a Windseeker you will be a trainee on board of the Gulden Leeuw. Under the watchful eye of professional crew members you will be responsible for sailing the Ship from setting and trimming the sails, through looking out for other vessels, to navigating and steering. You will have day and night watches, and also some time to relax and enjoy the journey!

The International Exchange is a very special type of journey where connecting to people from other cultures is as important as sailing. Aside from doing everything to sail the Ship to the destination port, you will enjoy additional cultural activities such as national dinners, debates and games. While the professional Crew will ensure your journey will be safe, during International Exchanges there are also mentors on board who will organize your activities and help you adjust to life on board.

The Ship sails day and night and that means you will have to be there to navigate it! You will be divided into watches and work in shifts of 4 hours on, 8 hours off. That means two watches per day: one in daytime and one in the night. Don’t worry, your sleep pattern will soon adjust. The language on board will be English – simple English. Most of your activities will be carried out as a team. By the time you reach the destination port you will be like a family.

Ports

The Tall Ships Races 2019 will be visiting the grand port of Aalborg. Aalborg has had a love affair with The Tall Ships Races since 1999, when the city hosted the event for the first time. Aalborg is situated at the Liim Fiord where it was founded by Vikings over 1000 years ago. Today Aalborg is a modern city with visible historic roots. Its theatres, symphony orchestra, performance venues, and museums, make Aalborg a great place to wind down after an exhilarating Sail adventure.

100 km south of Oslo, Fredrikstad is a coastal town, on the East side of the Oslofjord. Fredrikstad has a mix of old and new – The ‘Gamlebyen’ Old Town is a well-preserved star fort, across the water from the modern waterfront. Visit the 16th-century Kongsten fort, or Scandinavia’s largest model railway. Fredrikstad has successfully been a host port for the Tall Ship Races before, welcoming sailors and visitors with great events.

  • Aalborg (DK)

  • Fredrikstad (NO)

Sponsorship and costs

The youngster price (age 15-25) will be € 795 instead of the normal price of € 935.

If you have not sailed in Tall Ships Races before, and your age is between 15-25, please contact us for fundraising possibilities and bursaries: info@windseeker.org

Key points

  • Dates: 5 July 2019 - 13 July 2019
  • Embarkation: 15:00 / Disembarkation: 10:00
  • For Windseekers 15-25 years, age 26-28 at request
  • Windseekers joining: maximum 60
  • No sailing experience required!
  • Official language on board: English
  • 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
  • Windseekers need to have a health insurance and a travel insurance
  • Need to take with you on board: sleeping bags and towels
  • French Windseekers need to become member of Les Amis des Grands Voiliers

  • "At first I didn't know what to expect and I felt kind of insecure, but the crew was really amazing and I had an unforgettable journey."

    Finn (15), Belgium

You sail on the Gulden Leeuw

Shipping type: Topsail Schooner
Homeport: Kampen (NL)
Date built: 1937
Trainees: 60
Length: 70,1 m
Height of mast: 40 m
Sail: 1500 m2

The Gulden Leeuw is a three-masted topsail schooner, which means that you can climb the 40-metre mast to unpack the square sails. That’s approximately 12 stories high! But do not worry, you can start with the lowest yard. With 1500 …

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Windseeker logs

  • Meaning something is caring about people

    Statsraad Lehmkuhl

    Antwerp-Lisbon

    – by Trainee Aurélie (16), Belgium

    I wrote this before my 'after-breakfast-nap' on the last day of sailing: "It's the last day of sailing at the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, The Tall Ships Races. We are coming closer to the finishing line and I am finally writing something. I'm …

    Read log

  • Fun day out with friends

    Wadden Sea, October 2020

    All photos courtesy of BTOWU

    – by Nienke

    Besides providing us with super awesome, smart, science people to ensure the high quality of the sustainability side of our Exchange programs, By the Ocean we Unite also organize their own things. Like ‘citizen science’ day trips, during which folks …

    Read log

Photos

  • Trainees
  • Trainee

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