Tall Ships Festival 2009

This year's International Tall Ship Festival crosses the North Atlantic twice over 4 months.

The ships will cover a total of 7,000+ nautical miles, following 500 year-old trade routes.

On their westward journey they will benefit from the trade winds - reliable wind that blows westward. Averaging about 5 - 6 meters per second, with peaks to 13 meters, (30 miles per hour) it should provide for spectacular racing conditions.

The vessels will congregate in Spain's busiest fishing port, Vigo, between April 30 - May 3 for the start of the first leg of the race - 900 nautical miles south-south-west to Tenerife, the Capital of the Canary Islands archipelago (14 - 17 May). It's sheltered harbor, has provided a safe haven for many ships navigating the Atlantic Ocean. These include English navigator James Cook, during his last voyage at the helm of the Endeavour in 1776, William Bligh, commanding the Bounty, in 1778 and Charles Darwin, in 1882, on board the Beagle.

After four days the armada's off to the 21sq. mile island of Bermuda - 2,600 nautical miles to the west. They'll begin sailing into town on June 1st and will be the centerpiece of the island's 400th Anniversary of permanent settlement.

Beginning on June 15th, the fleet will slowly disappear over the western horizon, towards Charleston, SC. Charleston is consistently ranked as one of the best tourist destinations in the US and known for its architecture, haute cuisine and art. The ships will remain in port for six days (June 26th - 28th) before parading northward to the largest city in New England, Boston, Mass.

Boston previously hosted the tall ships in 1992 ans 2000 and has history on every corner. It is where the American Revolution began and is also the site of the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill and Paul Revere's house. The festival will continue here for seven days from July 7th-13, it will include public cruises, the Salute Ball and of course the Parade of Sail.

Then it's 370 miles north-north-east to Halifax NS (July 16th - 20th) where celebrations include the 250th anniversary of this Canadian Naval Port and its rich seafaring traditions. Having hosted the tall ships four times in just over two decades, Nova Scotia is no stranger to the hundreds of thousands of people who come to witness these amazing festivals. More than 600,000 visited Halifax for the 2007 event.

The final race leg, starting on Monday July 20th, is 2,350 nautical miles eastbound across the mighty North Atlantic to the final port of Belfast, Northern Ireland (13 - 16 August). During this crossing the vessels will take advantage of the prevailing westerlies (winds that blow predictably from the west to the east).

Belfast will play host to the tall ships Grand Finale Celebrations.

12 ‘Class A' vessels - the largest class of all the Tall Ships - are expected to participate. Ships will transform the quays along the River Lagan and provide a magnificent backdrop to four days and nights of nautical nirvana!

Visit the Tall Ships Festival for everything you need to know about this year's event. You'll also find tall ship directory, ship profiles, schedule of events and other treasure.

http://www.tall-shiprace.com/