The fifth and penultimate port of Tall Ships Races 2024 is Mariehamn and ships have been arriving here from the Cruise-in-Company from Turku.
Mariehamn is the capital of Aland. A Swedish speaking autonomous territory in the Baltic Sea, under Finnish sovereignty. Of a population of 30,000 in Alund some 12,000 live here in Mariehamn itself. It is also the home of the famous Flying P-liner Pommern, now anchored as a museum ship in the Western harbour. Mariehamn was last a race port back in 1988 and has been visited as a Cruise in Company port in 2009 and 2013.
Volunteers are always a very large and important part of all Tall Ships Races ports and here in Mariehamn, all but one of the management team are also volunteers. We spoke to a couple of them. “I used to sail old sailing vessels during the 1990’s and like the idea of helping at this tall ship event” said Kjell, “it is an amazing thing to be part of”.
Ester, another volunteer, proved that it is not necessary to have any sailing experience to be a volunteer. “I just love people”, she said. “Making good and interesting connections”. She recalled a time when Mexican naval ship Cuauhtemoc visited Mariehamn and as she left seeing the crew standing up on the yards singing, which made her so emotional she cried.“And now it is marvellous to be a part of this event even though we are such a small city”.
Pic: Volunteer Liaison Officer
Ships began to enter the port yesterday from the Cruise-in-Company leg from Turku, including German ships Johann Smidt and Roald Amundsen who were amongst the first to arrive.
Today (Wednesday), the first official day of the event, was busy with arrivals throughout the morning, including Dar Mlodziezy (Poland), who drew a large crowd as she came alongside.
The official opening ceremony took place on a stage in the shadow of Pommern. It began with some local young dancers, followed by the Chairman of the Town Council, Johan Ehn. During his speech he said “On behalf of the city council of Mariehamn and the whole community I will take this opportunity to thank everyone who has made this event possible and I look forward to seeing exciting competitions and happy smiling faces in the coming days”.
Next to speak was STI Race Chairman Raul Mimbacas who thanked the city for its hospitality and encouraged everyone to visit the STI website to see how they can get involved and get young people they may know on take part in future races. The ceremony concluded with some lively shanties singers, who entertained the gathered crowd.
Pic: Johan Ehn, Chairman of the Town Council, Raul Mimbacas, Chairman of TSR2024, Emma Dahlén, Acting Mayor of Mariehamn
This evening the Captains will attend a reception and dinner in the Town Hall – a good opportunity to catch up with each other and compare experiences and plans.
Main picture: Dar Mlodziezy arriving into a misty Mariehamn
About The Tall Ships Races 2024
The Tall Ships Races 2024 began on Thursday 27 June and continues through until Monday 5 August, with three exhilarating races and two scenic Cruise-in-Company legs. With Host Ports from five countries – Lithuania, Finland, Estonia, the Åland Islands and Poland – The Tall Ships Races 2024 will take in all the Baltic region has to offer.
The event takes the majestic Tall Ships fleet back to the Baltic Sea for the first time since 2017. During our last visit, over four million visitors came to see the Tall Ships, and we’re sure that 2024 will be just as spectacular.