Following on from our hugely successful anniversary year, we have been hard at work making sure 2017 is just as amazing… and with the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta and Tall Ships Races 2017 we are sure it will be. Check out our top five reasons why.
Over 2 million people visited Szczecin in the 2013 Tall Ships Races. Photo by © Adam Nurkiewicz / Mediasport
1. Visitors
Their sheer magnificence and beauty mean the tall ships races are no strangers to large numbers of visitors, but 2017 looks set to smash previous year’s figures with visitor numbers expected to be approaching 10 million in total. That’s more than the population of Finland and Lithuania combined!
Canada will be celebrating 150 years of the Canadian Federation in 2017.
2. Anniversaries
It may have been our Diamond anniversary in 2016, but the celebrations are continuing into 2017. Across the host ports in both the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta and Tall ships Races 2017 there will be three notable ‘birthdays’. Klaipeda will celebrate 765 years since it was founded, Le Havre 500 years, and Canada will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Canadian Federation.
Tall Ships on the Oder River, Szczecin.
3. Port Stops
2017 will see the tall ships truly embrace their international heritage with over 40 port visits across 10 countries; the U.K, Portugal, Bermuda, the U.S.A, Canada, France, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania and Poland.
The 2012 Tall Ships Races Lisbon Parade of Sail.
4. Big Ships, Small Ships
We already have over 120 ships confirmed to take part in 2017’s events, and expect many more to visit our race fleets in port. From our beautiful fleet of smaller racing vessels, through to the Class A giants of the sea, there is sure to be interest and excitement for visitors and participants alike.
International trainees in Lisbon, 2016.
5. Trainees! Trainees! Trainees!
Even though the Tall Ships Races and Regattas are one of the most spectacular events in the world (after the Olympics, they are the largest spectator sport event in the world) there’s one thing that makes us more excited than anything else… trainees! This year we are expecting over 10,000 trainees to take part in the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta and Tall Ships Races 2017 and you could be one of them. Just head over to our Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta or Tall Ships Races 2017 event pages to find out more and book your place.