In July 2022 the Tall Ships will come back to Denmark, Netherlands and Belgium. The events will start in Danish Esbjerg. From there the ships will race 180 nautical miles to Harlingen in the north of Netherlands. After a 3-day festival the fleet will continue on the more relaxed Cruise in Company to Belgian Antwerp before embarking on a 10-day race back to Denmark where the crew will join the final celebrations in Aalborg.
The dates of the 2022 Tall Ships Races and events are: Esbjerg: 7-10 July
Race 1: 9-16 July
Harlingen: 14-17 July
Cruise in Company: 16-24 July
Antwerp: 22-25 July
Race 2: 24 July - 6 August
Aalborg: 4-7 August
There are 4 classes of vessels which race against each other. At least 50% of the trainees on board have to be aged 15-25. Aside from the sailing trophies there are a number of different awards each year, for example: the most international crew, the best port entrance or the most entertaining in the Crew Parade.
Aside from sailing and racing, the port events are an equally big part of Tall Ships Races. After an exciting time on the sea, the trainees usually spend the last two days of their journey in ports, enjoying activities such as: Crew Parade, Crew Party, friendly competitions, concerts and spectacular fireworks.
The first ever Tall Ships race took place in 1956 in order to promote international friendships and Sail Training. 20 ships raced from Great Britain to Portugal, among them Christian Radich, Maybe and Sorlandet.
Initially designed to be a one-time event, the first race gathered a lot of interest and soon the Sail Training Association was founded to organise the next races, which they do to this day (now as Sail Training International - STI).