Sail in the Tall Ships Races Magellan-Elcano 500 series 2021
Sail a magnificent Tall Ship, make international friends and join exciting events in Falmouth and Spanish A Coruna! No experience needed.
Step on board a traditional sailing Ship in Falmouth for a true adventure on the high seas! Leave the harbour with dozens of other vessels in a spectacular Parade of Sail, before making your way to the starting line of the race. Cross the famous Bay of Biscay under sails, working in shifts - watches - day and night, to get the line honours.
Reach Spain just in time to participate in crew-exclusive events, such as Crew Parade, Crew Party, games and competitions. You will have the chance to meet trainees from other ships and exchange you sea stories. You will also get to stretch your sea legs while enjoying the last days with your crew mates.
Do you know the thrill of climbing the 30-metre mast? Have you ever experienced the rush of steering a huge Tall Ship? Would you like to learn how to navigate, tie some knots, sing shanties...? On board you will be involved in all aspects or sailing the ship! The professional crew will guide you in all tasks, until you're ready to do them all on your own!
Experience the powerful feeling of being one with nature, while on a ship propelled only by the power of the wind. The Bay of Biscay is full of marine wildlife, so keep your eyes on the horizon in lookout for dolphins! Spend the time off watch talking to your crew mates, playing games, singing and enjoying your wonderful adventure.
Are you ready to learn more?
Sail Training
Stand at the helm and feel the rush of power from steering a huge Tall Ship all on your own! Check your position and plot it on the sea chart. You’re a bit closer to your destination but the wind seems to be changing. What’s next?
Climb the mast to unfurl more sails and take a moment to admire the view from 20m high. Get back on deck and take charge of raising the sail with your fellow trainees – teamwork is the key and your confidence is growing!
Broaden your horizons and don’t let borders stop friendships. Meet people who you would otherwise have never met. Find the ways in which you are similar and celebrate differences - you may find teamwork much easier when everybody is good at something else.
There's no mobile service that far from land - time to disconnect! Take a deep breath and let yourself stare over the horizon for a while. Search the waves for dolphins or admire the way moon gets reflected in the sea. This might be a race, but there's also plenty of time to just be.
About the Tall Ships Races
The first ever Tall Ships race took place in 1956 in order to promote international friendships and Sail Training. Nowadays dozens of Tall Ships and smaller vessels come together every year for friendly competitions and events in the host ports. Many international Ships will take part in the 2021 Magellan-Elcano Tall Ships Races and safety measures will be updated depending on the situation.
The events will start in Falmouth, from where the fleet will embark on an adventurous crossing of the Bay of Biscay to Spanish A Coruña. The next leg will be, a more relaxed, Cruise in Company along the Portuguese coast towards Lisbon. For the final race the Ships will round Cape St. Vincent - the southernmost point of continental Europe - and sail to Cádiz for final celebrations.
Sailing Journeys
At the moment you can sail from Falmouth to A Coruna between August 18 and 28, 2021 on board the Morgenster - find the journey details below.
If you're unable to sail in those dates, you can also join other legs and sail around the Iberian Peninsula. See all Magellan-Elcano Tall Ships Races journeys here.
Falmouth (GB) - A Coruña (ES)
18 Aug 2021 - 28 Aug 2021Getting back to Falmouth
Would you like to travel together with other trainees? Travel counsellor Manon Eeken has been helping Windseekers to reach their Ships for many years now, and she can arrange for you to fly togehter with others from the same city. For Falmouth trainees Manon has found a couple of connections which will bring you conveniently back from A Coruña. Click below to see the options or contact Manon directly for help with booking at manon.eeken@travelcounsellors.nl
Click here for details
Funding
No budget? No worries! The Windseeker Dinghy will help you get on board. Raise money for your journey, supported by an experienced coach. Learn new things about yourself and gain practical life skills. It is also a great way to connect with other trainees before you step on board. We will publish a list of other funding possibilities (like bursaries) soon. Please keep in mind, however, that those may only be available for a small number of participants.
Learn more about Dinghy
COVID-19
The priority is to protect the health of everyone involved. All the activities – both on shore and on board – will be subject to the government guidelines in place at the time of the event.
Most likely the trainees will have to take a Covid-19 test before embarkation. To limit the exposure, there will be no public access to the Ships – only trainees and permanent crew will be allowed on board.
All of our Journeys are covered by the STO Garant. This means that if a Journey is not happening - for any reason - you will get your money back, even if Windseeker or the Ship become insolvent in the meantime. You can find out more about how it works here.
More detailed information will be communicated closer to the event.