Lerwick was privileged to welcome royalty to the in-port celebrations on Day Two and Three as HRH Princess Anne made a special visit to The Tall Ships Races 2023…
The Princess Royal arrived on Thursday 27th, joining the Captains’ dinner that evening, and took part in a tour of the event on Friday 28th July. During the visit she was able to meet the captains of the fleet and tour several ships, meeting crews and young trainees.
Joining the traditional Captains’ dinner, Princess Anne was able meet captains of the Tall Ships fleet and hear about their experiences during this year’s race series. The dinner saw speeches from Convener of Shetland Islands, Andrea Manson, and Captain of Statsraad Lehmkuhl, Marcus Siedl, who led a rousing rendition of the traditional sea shanty, South Australia.
During her visit of the event site and fleet, Princess Anne was able tour several ships, including Christian Radich, Roald Amundsen, Zenobe Gramme, Alba Explorer, Atene, Tenacious, Swan and Ocean Spirit of Moray. As well as seeing the majestic ships up close, she was also able to speak with a number of trainees about the life-changing experiences and adventures they’ve enjoyed during the races.
Having made a number of visits to Lerwick over the years and having a keen interest in the benefits of sail training experiences, the visit was the perfect demonstration of the positive impact of The Tall Ships Races visit on the young people taking part and the Shetland community.
ABOUT THE TALL SHIPS RACES 2023
The Tall Ships Races 2023 will see the international fleet of Tall Ships and Small Ships return to Den Helder, Hartlepool, Fredrikstad, Lerwick and Arendal from 29 June to 6 August.
With four of the five Host Ports having already hosted the stunning Tall Ships fleet, we are excited to return to old friends and visit new frontiers for some exhilarating sailing, stunning cruises and celebrations across Northwest Europe.
As with every edition of The Tall Ships Races, the series will offer a range of sailing experiences for trainees and crews. The Race Committee will look at waypoint options to provide shorter and longer races for the fleet that will require a mixture of tactical skill and exhilarating speed to conquer.
