Excitement builds for Race 1 of The Tall Ships Race 2026

As the excitement builds for Race 1 of The Tall Ships Race 2026, our Race Director Magda Makowska, brings some insight as to what the fleet and crews can expect during the first race leg from Aarhus to Harlingen.

“Race 1 is a virtual start located west of Skagen. The fleet departed Aarhus at 14:00 yesterday and is completing an approximate 135 nautical mile transit to reach the start line. For all classes, the start gate will remain open for a four-hour window between 1600 and 2000 UTC (1800–2200 local time) on Sunday 28 June.

All vessels must record their own start times upon crossing the line as they make their way toward Harlingen. The route includes an offset mark after the start line, a waypoint west of the entrance to Skagerrak, and a gate northwest of Helgoland.

The fleet can expect variable weather conditions as they track along the Northern and Western coast of Denmark. The record-breaking heatwave is set to clear by Sunday, bringing fresher weather and more blustery winds during Monday, which could challenge the crews. Favourable winds are due to set in for Tuesday and Wednesday, creating the potential for some great sailing speeds and race gains.

The finish line is located off the Frisian Islands, and the official race time limit is 2200 UTC on 2 July”.

From the entire Sail Training International Race Team, we wish all the trainees, crews, and fleet a fantastic race leg and we look forward to seeing you all in Harlingen!!!

To follow the action and to see who is leading in real time, please ensure you have downloaded our digital race tracker: https://sailtraininginternational.org/yb-tracking-2026/