Follow the Tall Ships Races 2019

Having monitored the weather throughout the day the, Race Committee have decided to bring the race time limit forward from Tuesday evening. The new revised time limit is now set for Tuesday the 30th July 0800 hrs UTC.

Race Director (Bergen to Aarhus) Ben Stuart detailed the reasons behind the revised time.

“This decision to bring the finish of Race Two forward was taken in view of predicted strong Easterly winds developing through the race area. These will significantly inhibit advancement down the race course and mean that vessels would struggle to make the finish.

“The current weather forecast shows the weather growing lighter through to Tuesday midday, then the strong Easterly winds are due to be over the finish line that moves west through the Skagerrak Tuesday afternoon.”

Tall Ships Races 2019 Race Director (Bergen to Aarhus) Ben Stuart

Provisional Positions as of 1630 UTC, 29 July

Class A

Fryderyk Chopin (Poland)

Statsraad Lehmkuhl (Norway)

Mir (Russia)

Class B

Gratitude (Sweden)

Wyvern (Norway)

Johan SmIdt (Germany)

Class C/D

Dar Szczecin (Poland)

Challenge Wales (UK)

Tuulelind (Estonia)

Through the night we saw some retirements but we have also seen some great competitive sailing. Race Director (Bergen to Aarhus) Ben Stuart gave a breakdown of how the fleet have been progressing on the course.

“Any positional reports are provisional and due to the close nature of the leader board positions the Race Committee will have a lot of work to do coming up with the final results.

“After all this time on the race course and although the fleet has spread out, sunrise in the Skagerrak, Rupel (Belgium), Georg Stage (Denmark), Cuauhtemoc (Mexico), Sorlandet (Norway) and Wylde Swan (The Netherlands) remain in close company and looking to see who will blink first.

“Whilst Eendracht (The Netherlands) have tacked and moving down towards them. Some good sailing there. Awareness and concentration will be the key through today”.

Race Committee confirm Time limit remains for Tuesday 30th July 18:00 UTC.

Weather looks to remain as is (light Easterly) for 29/07, then moving to the NW early hours Tuesday 30th which although light will give them a more direct run to the finish line. At the moment it looks to swing to the E after 12.00 30th at around 10/15kn.

Class A

Fryderyk Chopin (Poland)

Statsraad lehmkuhl (Norway)

Mir (Russia)

Class B

Gratitude (Sweden)

Wyvern (Norway)

Johan Smidt (Germany)

Class C/D

Dar Szczecina (Poland)

Challenge Wales (UK)

Tuulelind (Estonia)

*PROVISIONAL as of 08.00 UTC

The Race has settled in and the fleet is now well spread throughout the area.
Christian Radich (Norway) has overtaken Statsraad Lehmkuhl (Norway) in the class A’s and there’s a exciting jostling for position, whilst Fryderyk Chopin (Poland) holds on to her lead.

Race Director (Bergen – Aarhus) Ben Stuart gave a breakdown of how the TallShips fleet have been worked their way through the course…

There have been quite a few changes lower down the running order of the A’s as vessels have committed to their sailing lines and some are paying off better than others.

Wyvern (Norway) overtakes Gratitude (Sweden) to lead the Class B standings and Blue Clipper (UK) had a tough night going down three places to 8th in class.  No changes to the C/D ‘s as they are all tight and have the finish line in their sights.

The Race Committee meeting this morning confirmed time limit for Tuesday the 30th @ 18:00 hrs UTC with no changes envisaged. This will be reviewed at this evening’s meeting (Sunday 29th July)

Weather is holding consistent for the next 24 hrs throughout the area with the wind lightening and becoming variable in the Skagerrak Monday evening.

Back markers can still make finish within time limit but will be tight.

POSITION OVERALL

Dar Szczecina (Poland)

Challenge Wales (UK)

Koalicja (Poland)

CLASS A

Fryderyk Chopin (Poland)

Mir (Russia)

Christian Radich (Norway)

CLASS B

Wyvern (Norway)

Gratitude (Sweden)

Rupel (Belgium)

CLASS C/D

Dar Szczecina (Poland)

Challenge Wales (UK)

Koalicja (Poland)

*Correct as of 11:00 UTC.

Race Two is starting to open up. Fryderyk Chopin’s (Poland) initial work taking the inshore track along with the class C/D appears to be paying off as they now lead the class A division, but with MIR (Russia) within a few miles of them and now in second place there can be no let up. Will the hard work that the crew onboard have had to put in through the numerous sail manoeuvers whilst coming down the Norwegian coast catch up with them or will the more conservative approach by MIR (Russia) allow them to work past the leading vessel.

Race Director (Bergen – Aarhus) Ben Stuart gave a breakdown of how the fleet have been progressing on the course…

“In the Class B’s – Gratitude (Sweden) is cracking along next to the elegant Christian Radich (Norway) and Shabab Oman II (Oman) where enmass, they are charging for the waypoint at 6.5 knots.

“Class C/D is being lead on the water by Challenge Wales (UK) who at 7.5 knots is now well in the straits and has a good eye on the finish line, however she needs to push hard in order to beat the current leader in the class Dar Szczecina (Poland).

“Meanwhile in the rear markers they are having good sailing as well with some vessels finally catching the wind and showing speeds of  7 to 8 knots!

“The race committee has been taken by the competitive nature of the fleet in the last race of the series and the changing nature of the leaderboard. Focus is now turning towards managing the race finish and the challenge that such a spread fleet presents to enable everyone in the fleet to be in port in time.

The Tall Ships Races Race Director (Bergen to Aarhus) Ben Stuart

CLASS A

Fryderyk Chopin (Poland)

Mir (Russia)

Statsraad Lehmkuhl (Norway)

CLASS  B

Gratitude (Sweden)

Wyvern (Norway)

Rupel (Belgium)

CLASS C/D

Dar Szczecina (Poland)

Challenge Wales (UK)

Koalicja (Poland)

It’s a little over 24 hrs into Race Two of the Tall Ships Races 2019 and there has been exhilarating action across the fleet. The Russian Class A ship Mir has been able to make the best progress on the water, but continuing changes in weather conditions and the Time Correction Factors mean all is still to play for in the race for overall success.

Race Director (Bergen to Aarhus) Ben Stuart gave a breakdown of how the fleet have been progressing on the course.

“Vessels have settled in to the course now. Having accurately measured the weather, Captain Orlov on Mir (Russia) now battles at the front of the fleet in the race next to Rona II (UK) and Koalicja (Poland). Remarkable work by all three.

“Behind them, Shabab Oman II (Oman) is leading a pack of eight vessels looking for the opportunity to pounce or for the front runners to make a mistake. However what is happening on the water does not show the leaderboard once you factor each ship’s Time Correction Factor.

“Dar Szczecina (Poland) has overall lead, sailing a tremendous race with Tuulelind (Estonia) and Challenge Wales (UK) jostling for 2nd.

“In the Class A’s, Loa (Denmark) has taken the lead briefly but is closely followed by Cuauhtemoc (Mexico), Dar Mlodziezy (Poland), Cisne Branco (Brazil), Mir (Russia) and then Fryderyk Chopin (Poland).

“Class B is led by Wyvern (Norway) with Gratitude (Sweden) and Den Store Bjoern (Denmark) 2nd and 3rd, whilst Class C/D sees Dar Szczecina (Poland) in front, with Tuulelind (Estonia) and Challenge Wales (UK) following closely.

“There is a lot happening and the Leaderboard is changing all the time. Endurance, team management and accurate weather analysis are key at this stage. None in the fleet can afford to relax, and all can make a bid for the lead at this stage.”

The Tall Ships Races Race Director (Bergen to Aarhus) Ben Stuart

Class A

Loa (Denmark)

Cuauhtemoc (Mexico)

Dar Mlodziezy (Poland)

Class B

Wyvern (Norway)

Gratitude (Sweden)

Den Store Bjoern (Denmark)

Class C/D

Dar Szczecina (Poland)
Tuulelind (Estonia)
Challenge Wales (UK)

Race Two got off to an exciting start at 0600 UTC today (25 July) as the Tall Ships and Small Ships began the final leg south to Aalborg, Denmark. Varying weather conditions led to changes to the race course in order to give the fleet the best chance of completing the race within the set timeframes.

Race Director (Bergen to Aarhus) Ben Stuart, gave the following insight into the reasons behind the course changes and details of how the race is progressing in its early stages.

“During a very successful event in Bergen, the Race Committee had regular meetings to analyse updates to the forecasted weather, decide the best way of managing the race and whether there were any adjustments necessary to the race course.

“During these meetings, it was decided to bring the race start 40 miles down the course to allow vessels to exit from the Bergen fjords via the southern route.

“This had two benefits; it meant that smaller vessels had less time at sea in what was predicted to be rough weather and it also gave them a fair chance of reaching the finishing line within the predicted time.

“The start gate was opened by Race Control onboard Cisne Branco (Brazil) at 0600 UTC. The Class C/D ships showed the greatest intent with the first vessel to cross the line being one of the smallest in the fleet, Koalicja (Poland). The larger vessels were led by Fryderyk Chopin (Poland) who crossed the line at 0606 UTC.

“Due to the southerly winds, vessels are looking at a South to South East course direction .

“As the vessels settle into the race, the Race Committee held their first meeting to look at the weather further down the track and I’m pleased to say that it is looking good for a competitive race. We expect winds to pick up towards the southern end of Norway and there are good winds predicted all the way through to Sunday.”

The Tall Ships Races Race Director (Bergen to Aarhus) Ben Stuart

Class A

Pogoria (Poland)
Shtandart (Russia)
Mir (Russia)

Class B

Aglaia (Latvia)
Rupel (Belgium)
Loyal (Norway)

Class C/D

Dar Szczecina (Poland)
Belfer (Poland)
Challenge Wales (UK)

The expected light and variable winds have ultimately had an impact on Race One of the Tall Ships Races 2019 with the Race Committee announcing a Finish at Sea. The extent of the weather conditions varying have made for a challenging race across the fleet and given all the trainees and crews a voyage to remember. With a revised finish deadline of 0800 UTC today (10 July), the fleet have already begun to make their way into the port of Fredrikstad where focus will turn to the Host Port programme and final results on corrected time.

Race Director (Aalborg to Fredrikstad) Paul Bishop provided an insight into the Finish at Sea announcement and explained how the weather conditions had affected Race one:

“The Race Committee brought the time limit forward to 0800 UTC in view of the light and variable winds that have prevailed since the start of the race on Sunday (7 July).

“Around 20 vessels managed to cross the finish line before the revised time limit. All other vessels will pass their position at this time to Race Control so that the Race Committee will be able use their unique Finish at Sea routine to calculate the provisional results. The Race Committee expects that the final results will be published tomorrow morning once the final few vessels have handed over their formal race declaration forms.

“The constantly changing winds have meant that the crews and young trainees have had to work hard tacking and manoeuvring their vessels throughout 250 miles of sailing over the past few days. There have been times when their vessels have been almost becalmed. When the winds have filled in, there has been some very close racing with only minutes separating some vessels on occasions. The leaderboard has been changing each hour since the start which has made it a very exciting.

“Well done to all crews who have completed such a challenging race!”
The Tall Ships Races 2019 Race Director (Aalborg to Fredrikstad) Paul Bishop

Provisional Results – (Subject to change)

Class A

Statsraad Lehmkuhl (Norway)
Fryderyk Chopin (Poland)
Oosterschelde (Netherlands)

Class B

Christiania (Norway)
Maybe (UK)
Gratitude (Sweden)

Class C/D

Koalicja (Poland)
Dar Szczecina (Poland)
Tuulelind (Estonia)

Challenging wind conditions have produced more exciting racing throughout the Tall Ships fleet with closely fought battles throughout the different classes. Oosterschelde (Netherlands) currently leads in Class A, with Maybe (UK) heading up the Class B fleet while the Class C/D’s are led by Koalicja (Poland).

Race Director (Aalborg to Fredrikstad) Paul Bishop gave the following update.

“Oosterschelde (Netherlands) remains in first place on the leader board, on corrected time, but Fryderyk Chopin (Poland) Statsraad Lehmkuhl (Norway), Eendracht (Netherlands) and Christian Radich (Norway) are all within close range and anyone of them could take the top position in their class before the finish.

“Meanwhile In the middle of the Class A fleet, Alexander Von Humboldt II (Germany) and Shabab Oman II (Oman) are catching Sorlandet (Norway) and can see both their placings come up through the Class A Fleet before the finish.

“Maybe (UK) is in top position in Class B but only minutes separate her from Christiania (Norway) and Gratitude (Sweden) so constant changes are expected over the course of the day.

“There is very tight racing too in Class C/D between Koalicja (Poland) Tuulelind (Estonia) and Dar Szczecina (Poland) on corrected time with Tuulelind at the head of the fleet on the water. She is expected to cross the finish within the next couple of hours to take line honours.

“The wind is forecast to fill in from the west which will help all those vessels that have rounded Waypoint One whilst leaving the back markers at a disadvantage.

“The light and variable head winds which have created some challenging racing have meant slow progress during the race. The Race Committee will therefore be meeting this afternoon to decide whether the time deadline (originally 23:00 UTC Wednesday 10th July) will need to be brought forward by some hours in order to ensure that all vessels will be able to arrive at Fredrikstad by Thursday morning when the exciting port programme is due to commence.

“Meanwhile the sun is shining on the race course and here in Fredrikstad where the fleet are sure to see a warm welcome…”
The Tall Ships Races 2019 Race Director (Aalborg to Fredrikstad) Paul Bishop

Class A

Oosterschelde (Netherlands)
Fryderyk Chopin (Poland)
Statsraad Lehmkuhl (Norway)

Class B

Maybe (UK)
Christiania (Norway)
Gratitude (Sweden)

Class C/D

Koalicja (Poland)
Tuulelind (Estonia)
Dar Szczenia (Poland)

The frantic action continued overnight with the Estonian vessel Tuulelind continuing her strong performance and taking the lead on the water. Helena (Finland) and Esprit (Germany) are in pursuit but Dar Szczecina (Poland) has not been able to continue at the the front of the pack.

For the Class A’s, Fryderyk Chopin (Poland) has continued her strong performance and Oosterschelde (Germany) and Statsraad Lehmkuhl (Norway) have reignited their long standing rivalry as they battle for fourth place.

Race Director (Aalborg to Fredrikstad) Paul Bishop gave the following insight into the progress of the fleet.

“The light and variable north westerly breezes that have prevailed since the start of the race yesterday afternoon have suited the modern smaller vessels and Tuulelind (Estonia) will shortly be the first to round Waypoint One (WP1) in the west of the Skagerrak. Helena (Finland) and Esprit (Germany) are fighting for the second place rounding close behind.

“Fryderyk Chopin (Poland) has held on to her narrow lead in Class A with Eendracht (Netherlands) closing in on her stern. Will Chopin hold her off? Christian Radich (Norway) has moved up through the fleet into third on corrected time in Class A just ahead of Oosterschelde (Netherlands) and her arch rival Statsraad Lehmkuhl (Norway).

“The wind has increased and backed to the west which is spreading out the fleet as they break tacks and choose different tactics as they claw towards WP1. The young trainees will have found their ’sea legs’ now after 24 hours at sea and the team work on the ships will be starting to gel as they put in their numerous tacks and manoeuvres necessary in these testing conditions.”

The Tall Ships Races 2019 Race Director (Aalborg to Fredrikstad) Paul Bishop

Blue skies and breaking clouds accompanied the Tall Ships fleet as they began Race One of the 2019 series. The Polish vessels made good use of the weather conditions with Fryderyk Chopin leading the Class A’s and Dar Szczecina battling out for the overall lead on the water.

“Race One got off to a good start with a favourable light North East wind taking the fleet through the start gate north of Skagen this afternoon.

“Dar Szczecina (Poland) and Helena (Finland) sailed out in front of the fleet and have kept their lead on the water with Tuulelind (Estonia) catching up fast.

“Fryderyk Chopin (Poland) has taken an early lead at the front of the Class A fleet and has positioned herself well north of the straight line course to take advantage of the expected change in wind direction. Eendracht (Netherlands) and Oosterschelde (Netherlands) are just a few miles astern with Christian Radich (Norway) and Cisne Branco (Brazil) also sailing well very closely behind.

“The forecast over the next couple of days is for very changeable light to moderate winds which will mean continuous sail handling for the crews and complex race strategies for the captains and navigators. Expect many changes and surprises over the next 48 hours!”

The Tall Ships Races 2019 Race Director (Aalborg to Fredrikstad) Paul Bishop