It is with a very heavy heart that we announce that The Tall Ships Races Magellan-Elcano 500 series will not go ahead this year…
Tall Ships Races International Ltd (TSRIL), a subsidiary of Sail Training International, and the Host Ports of Falmouth, A Coruna, Lisbon and Cadiz had all hoped that by this summer the COVID-19 pandemic would be further under control. Sadly, the ongoing impact of the pandemic had seen the withdrawal from The Tall Ships Races Magellan-Elcano 500 series of Falmouth and A Coruna as Host Ports, and this was followed last week by the news that the event could also not go ahead in Cadiz this summer.
We have now reached an agreement with Aporvela, the Portuguese national Sail Training Organisation, that it will not be possible for the event go ahead in Lisbon for these same reasons.
In light of the above, we can now confirm that The Tall Ships Races Magellan-Elcano 500 series will not take place this year.
As organisers of The Tall Ships Races, TSRIL and our Host Port partners are committed to providing safe events for trainees, staff, volunteers, vessel operators, partners and visitors alike. With this in mind, we hope that everyone affected by this decision will understand and appreciate the circumstances which have led to it.
This has not been an easy decision for anyone involved and we would like to extend our warm and heartfelt thanks to all of the Host Ports for their commitment and hard work to date.
Whilst we are all deeply saddened that The Tall Ships Races Magellan-Elcano 500 series will not go ahead this year, the host ports remain committed to welcoming the Tall Ships Fleet back at the earliest possible opportunity and we will now work together to establish when this will be.
The thoughts of everyone at Tall Ships Races International Ltd and the organising parties of Falmouth, A Coruna, Lisbon and Cadiz continue to be with everyone affected by COVID-19 in these difficult times, and all parties continue to encourage sail training organisations and vessel operators to follow COVID-19 compliant procedures on board to keep this vital experience available to young people around the world.
