First SCF Far East Tall Ships Regatta

Some of the fastest and largest Tall Ships in the world will be racing across the heart of the Pacific Rim this September.

South Korea and Russia are hosting the first SCF Far East Tall Ships Regatta 2018 this September. In the spirit of international friendship the two countries have opened their ports to welcome a fleet of some of the worlds’ most impressive Tall Ships, host a race and two FREE, family festivals.

Continuing Sail Training International’s successful partnership with one of the world’s largest shipping companies, Sovcomflot (SCF), the fleet will be racing between Yeosu, South Korea and Vladivostok, Russia and then taking part in an additional day race to and from Vladivostok.

The combination of spectacular ships, free festival celebrations and inspiring young people will create a unique event that offers something for everyone.

Supporting Young People

The main objective of the event is to support the development of young people sailing the ships – the trainees. Sovcomflot is a proud supporter of international youth development and Tall Ships are the perfect environment for developing maritime skills. Maritime cadets will be using the event to practise their sailing skills for careers at sea and young people with no previous sailing experience will be sailing for the first time.

There is no upper age limit to trainees wanting to take part in the event, but both countries have pledged to support trainees aged 15-25 years old from their countries to take part. South Korea has committed to funding 25 trainees and Sovcomflot will be providing opportunities for 50. 

The Fleet

Vessel entries are still coming in and the majority of this stunning fleet come from State owned and operated sail training ships from Indonesia, Japan, Russia and South Korea.  Vessels include:

Pallada (Russia) Class A – considered the world’s fastest sailing ship as she holds the world speed record of 18.7 knots.

Bima Suci (Indonesia) – one of the largest tall ships in the world with a total sail surface of 3,361 square metres (36,200 ft.) and 111 metres (364 ft.) long. The largest naval sail training ship currently in service is Peru’s 115-metre BAP Unión.

Miraie (Japan) Class A and Ami (Japan) Class B – both available to provide sail training experiences for young people.

Koreana (South Korea) Class A – the only Clipper in Korea and used for student sail training.

Nadezhda (Russia) Class A –  Nadezhda means ‘good hope’ and was named after the sloop which completed the first Russian circumnavigation (1803-1806) led by Ivan Kruzenstern. She was built in 1990 to train Russian maritime civil cadets and won the first SCF Black Sea Tall Ships Regatta 2014.

Free Festivals

The Regatta will begin with a four day, free festival in Yeosu, South Korea on the East China Sea coast.

The Regatta will finish with a free festival in Vladivostok, Russia coinciding with the 4^th Eastern Economic Forum  – recognised by the global community as a major international platform for projects to strengthen business ties in the Asia-Pacific region. World leaders from the region, and beyond, are expected to attend this three day key event.

Both festivals will include free access to the ships, maritime themed activities and stalls, a colourful Crew Parade and a Tall Ships Parade of Sail so, weather willing, visitors can see the ships on the water with their sails up.

Racing China Team

To add to the excitement and spectacle, the Qingdao International Yacht Club in China will be holding a high profile, international race alongside the Regatta. The club is home to the China Team which competes in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup.  Ten teams from around the world will be racing 40 feet (12 meter) Beneteau Yachts at the same time as the SCF Far East Tall Ships Regatta, starting from Qingao, Shandong, China and racing to Vladivostok, Russia, where they will berth alongside the Tall Ships fleet and take part in a day race to and from Vladivostok.

Route and dates

Yeosu – South Korea Monday 27 – Saturday 1 September

Race 1

Vladivostok – Russia Sunday 9 September – Tuesday 11 September

Day Race Tuesday 11 September

Vladivostok – Russia Tuesday 11 September – Friday 14 September

About Sovcomflot

Sovcomflot (SCF) is Russia’s largest shipping company and one of the global leaders in marine transportation of hydrocarbons (crude oil, petroleum products and liquefied gas) and in transporting servicing oil and gas projects on the continental shelf, including offshore seismic exploration.

SCF has147 vessels, with a total deadweight of 12.724 million tonnes.  The company participates in the largest energy projects in Russia and abroad: Sakhalin-1, Sakhalin-2, Varandey, Prirazlomnoye, Novy Port, Yamal LNG and Tangguh (Indonesia). SCF is also the leading ice-class fleet operator; at the end of the year the SCF ice-class fleet will comprise of 78 vessels.

Every day SCF Group vessels arrive at more than 100 ports on five continents. The offices are located in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novorossiysk, Vladivostok, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, London, Dubai and Limassol; The Group’s total staff number is over 7,800. Sovcomflot is one of the leading and most stable employers in the cities located at the seaside in North-West, South and Far East of Russia.

www.sovcomflot.ru/en/

A Russian translation of this blog post is available here.