Race Report 1: Ideal Race Start Conditions

The race start of the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta 2016

clear visibility and support from the Royal Navy.

First over the start line in Class A was Shtandart

(Russia) who also stole the show in the Parade of Sail, demonstrating

great seamanship while leaving Blyth Harbour under full sail. First to

cross the start line in Class B was Skonnerten Jylland (Denmark) with Urania (The Netherlands) leading the Class Cs and Ds.

äóìRace

start conditions were ideal – with a steady following breeze and calm

seas. The forecast looks good for a fast passage across the North Sea to

Gothenburg, although variable winds will see vessel speeds fluctuating.

äóìSpecial

thanks go to the Royal Navy who were a tremendous help in providing

three naval ships for the race start. Thanks to their professionalism

all aspects of the race start sequence went smoothly.äó

Mike Bowles, Race Director at Sail Training International.

Current class placings on corrected time (at time of publication) – as shown on the leader board of YB, the satellite tracking system. These results are updated every 15 minutes.

Class A

1. Shtandart (Russia)
2. Christian Radich (Norway)
3. Oosterschelde (The Netherlands)

Class B

1. Vega Gamleby (Sweden)
2. Skonnerten Jylland (Denmark)
3. Brabander (Lithuania)

Class C and D

1. Black Diamond of Durham (UK)
2. Urania (The Netherlands)
3. Challenger 3 (UK)

Blyth is Delighted

Blyth has reported that it’ delighted with the success of the event – the largest to have taken place in Northumberland.

Activities

stretched from the beach right up to the town centre. Highlights

included the crew parade and the re-enacted Blyth carnival, which

involved 1,000 people on the Saturday afternoon. It also included a

nightly fireworks performance, which was accompanied by a film and

musical score created by Swedish artist Cecilia Stenbom and UK composer

Chris Sharkey, who have worked with local people from Blyth and

Gothen