The Tall Ships Races 2016: parade, prizes äó_ and news from behind the sails

The final evening of the first day of The Tall Ships Races 2016 in Antwerp was celebrated by the Captains of all the ships at a special dinner, thanks to the port of Antwerp. And today (Friday 8 July) the crews had the opportunity to parade through the streets, celebrate at a prize giving ceremony and then party the night away!

At the Captains Dinner

Antwerp’s Port Alderman, Marc Van Peel, said:

äóìWe’ve been eagerly looking forward to The Tall Ships Races – these exquisite vessels captivate the minds of everyone, brings people together and creates unforgettable experiences.Their presence highlight the charms of our city and we hope the young people taking part will become Ambassadors of the city in the future.äó

Ian Lerner, Captain of Ocean Spirit of Moray (UK), spoke about the impact that sail training has on young people: 

äóìI have been lucky enough to have spent the last 30 years on sail training ships and the last 21 years running Ocean Spirit.  

äóìWhilst fundamentally young people haven’t really changed that much over the years, society has.  The distractions of modern life make it easier than ever for young people to avoid the kind of essential experiences that we all know help to develop the character and resilience so necessary to become good citizens in an ever changing world.

äóìSail training provides opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to find out about themselves and what is really important in life.  It helps them to realize that its people not things that matter, and that sometimes the most significant lesson in life is to have the confidence to just be yourself.  

“And all this comes from our encounters with the sea in ships that need people to sail them, people who must work together and overcome many challenges to get the boat safely to their destination.  Being at sea and learning to put the ship and their shipmates before themselves is perhaps not always something that comes naturally to our trainees, but we all know that the common bond that is formed amongst young people when they face the oceans can be a life changing experience, and we know it works not because they have seen it on YouTube, but because it is real. 

“Back in the 1960′ Kurt Hahn famously said that the Moray Firth was his best school teacher, and I believe that today more than ever we need young people who have the self-belief and determination to take charge of our world in the future.  From my perspective the more of them that have seen life from the deck of a ship and pulled on a rope with others, the brighter our future will be.”

CREW PARADE

Crews of the 2016 Tall Ships Races fleet paraded through the port and city of Antwerp, to the Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS) for the first prize giving ceremony of this year’ event.

The parade itself was awash with colour and vibrancy with crews from around the world marching through the historic port city.

Photos from the crew parade can be seen on Facebook. 

PRIZE GIVING CEREMONY

Most Spectacular Arrival into Antwerp

The only thing equal to the competition of the races themselves is the effort put in by each and every vessel to present the most spectacular arrival possible when entering the host port. 

Winner: Dar Mlodziezy (Poland)