They’re sailing to us!
Marta Kufel
43 vessels have just embarked on the last stage of The Tall Ships Races. They have 400 nautical miles ahead of them to reach our hospitable Szczecin and the grand finale.
Representatives of 15 countries are sailing to Szczecin as we speak. The ships have left Mariehamn and began the third and the final stage of the regatta with the finish line set near Świnoujście.
Sail ships with crews of over 100 people on board and smaller yachts, writing their stories, are taking part in the largest regatta on the Baltic Sea. The largest tall ship that set sail for Szczecin is Dar Młodzieży, while Zryw from Szczecin is the smallest one.
One of the sail ships that will moor at the foot of Chrobry Embankment for the first time is Guayas. This Ecuadorian barque is nearly 79 metres long! In 2007, the crew of the barque garnered the Friendship Trophy, the highest token of recognition during the Mediterranean edition of The Tall Ships Races awarded as part of a secret vote by ship captains. Our international guests also include, among others, the German sail ship called Grossherzogin Elisabeth, Pascual Flores from Spain, and ITS Stella Polare, a yacht belonging to Italian Navy.
Poland is also generously represented at the regatta. Twenty vessels are sailing under the Polish banner. In addition to the largest tall ships, class B, C, and D vessels will also moor in Szczecin, along with guests that do not take part in the regatta. We are expecting nearly 65 vessels from Denmark, Norway, Lithuania, Sweden, Germany, and the UK.
Here is a complete list:
Class A
• FRYDERYK CHOPIN
• GROSSHERZOGIN ELISABETH
• ROALD AMUNDSEN
• KAPITAN GLOWACKI
• POGORIA
• DAR MLODZIEZY
• GUAYAS
• ORP ISKRA
Class B
• BETTY
• BONAWENTURA
• EXCELSIOR
• GENERAL ZARUSKI
• HIIUINGEL
• JOHANN SMIDT
• RUPEL
• GRATITUDE
• JENS KROGH
• INGRID
• PASCUAL FLORES
• AGLAIA
• KAPITAN BORCHARDT
Class C
• BELFER
• BELFER II
• CYKAS
• FARUREJ
• HELENA
• SAEFTINGHE
• SPANIEL
• TORNADO
• VESTA
• ZRYW
• BIES
• GEDANIA
• WIELKOPOLSKA
• MARENGO
Class D
• LIETUVA
• TARA
• DAR SZCZECINA
• LINDA
• HENRIKA
• TORNADO II
• HNLMS URANIA
• ITS STELLA POLARE
No matter the size and class, they have the same distance to travel and are facing the same conditions on the Baltic Sea. Some will find it more difficult than others. The competition between the vessels can be tracked on an ongoing basis on WWW.TALLSHIPS.SZCZECIN.EU in ŚLEDZENIE JEDNOSTEK (Ship tracking) tab.
In the meantime, keep your eyes open, as the first ones should arrive at Szczecin on Thursday!
