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TALL SHIPS’ RACES – HARTLEPOOL 2010

The Tall Ships’ Races FAQs
Everything you ever wanted to know about The Tall Ships' Races but were afraid to ask...

What are The Tall Ships’ Races?
Sail Training International organises and manages the annual series of races for sail training Tall Ships in European waters. The purpose of these events is to provide an opportunity for friendly competition and to develop international friendships and understanding amongst the young trainees and the communities visited during the races.  These events take place in waters around Europe, from the Baltic to the Mediterranean. They typically involve four host ports - a race from port one to port two, a cruise in company to port three, and a race to port four. Time in port is usually three or four days during which the focus is on activities for the young trainees and providing a festival atmosphere for the local community. Several hundred thousand visitors attend the smaller ports, and literally millions are attracted to the larger ports.

When are the Races coming to Hartlepool?
The Tall Ships Races 2010 will be hosted by Hartlepool in August 2010.

How many Tall Ships will be coming to Hartlepool?
The Tall Ships' Races typically attract a fleet of 70-120 vessels from about 20 countries.  Around 20 Class A vessels – the largest tall ships in the world usually take part in the races.  The rest of the fleet are made up of B, C & D class vessels.
Vessels include 30ft yachts to square rigged ships over 300 feet long.

What are the different classes of Tall Ships?
Class A All square rigged ships (the old fashioned sailing ships)
Class B  Not square rigged, but traditionally sailed, eg. four sided
                                sails and more than one mast
Class C & D         All modern yachts (Class C race without using spinnaker,
                                Class D race using spinnaker)

Which countries will they be coming from?
Ships will be arriving from all over the world including those from France, Poland, Russia, Indonesia, India, Latvia, Germany and Norway to name but a few countries.  

Who are the four host ports in 2010?
1st Leg – Antwerp, Belgium to Aalborg, Denmark
Cruise in Company – Ports between Aalborg and Kristiansand
2nd Leg – Kristiansand, Norway to Hartlepool, UK

Can we get on boats?
Yes, but only at the discretion of individual captains.

How many crew are visiting in total?
Most years some 3-4,000 young people (aged 16-25) from close to 30 countries take part.

How will it impact on transport/roads?
Vehicle access to Hartlepool Quays (Hartlepool Marina & PD Teesport) will be restricted and details published in due course. Park and Ride facilities will be provided – the impact on Hartlepool will be significant and the Project Team will be working on this to determine options.

How many visitors will be attending?
It is envisaged that the event will attract between 0.5 and 1.5m people.

Age range of crew?
Young people taking part in the race will be aged between 16-25 with at least 50% of crews being in this age group.

What is the economic benefit to the region?
The Tall Ships event at Newcastle/Gateshead brought circa £50m worth of income into the region’s economy in 2005.  It is estimated that the event in 2010 could bring in a similar cash injection to Hartlepool and the wider Tees Valley.  It will also raise the profile of Hartlepool within the sub-region and region and is an excellent opportunity to promote Hartlepool in the future years as the ideal place to live, work and visit.

How many times and when before has the Tall Ships’ Races visited the area?
The Tall Ships’ Race has visited the Northeast (Newcastle/Gateshead) three times i.e. 1986, 1993 and 2005.  This will be the fourth time in several years that they have visited the North East.

Where will the crew be staying?
Crews live on ship throughout the Tall Ships’ Races.

What is the history behind The Tall Ships’ Races?
The idea of an international race for sail training ships, manned by crews drawn from cadets and seamen under training, was first informally mooted in 1953. Retired London Solicitor, Bernard Morgan had the dream of seeing a Brotherhood of the Sea, which would bring together the youth of the world’s seafaring people in friendly competition. He believed this would be a fitting way to mark what was considered to be the end of the age of sail.

The more Bernard Morgan talked about the idea, the more sympathetic ears he found, firing the imaginations of many, including Earl Mountbatten, the First Sea Lord, and the UK’s Duke of Edinburgh.  After much consultation, a Sail Training International Race Committee (STIRC) was established that made plans for a race between Torbay in the UK and Lisbon in Portugal in July 1956.  Twenty vessels took part in that first race, divided into two classes, those over 100 tons and those under, with ships from Argentina, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey and the UK.

That first race was only planned to be a one-off, but it attracted such huge press coverage, particularly in the countries of the vessels taking part, that the Committee decided to repeat the event in 1958 and thereafter every second year. So STIRC became a permanent body, changing over the years through its incarnations as STA, ISTA and into Sail Training International.  1964 also saw the start of a new division of the fleet, with the square riggers forming Class A and the smaller vessels split into two divisions of Class B.

A series of minor races began in 1965 for the alternate years, although by 1975 these minor races had become almost as big as the major ones, until there ceased to be a differentiation between them.  A realisation dawned in the early 1970s that the finances were looking precarious and a sponsor was needed. Cutty Sark Scots Whisky agreed to sponsor the event, something they continued to do for 30 years.

 

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