Shetland.org

The Tall Ships Races: A Shetland Spectacle

Enlarge photo

In 2011, from 21 to 24 July, Lerwick will once again host the Tall Ships Races, Europe’s most spectacular sailing event. The Tall Ships Races have been held since 1956 and feature between 70 and 100 sail training vessels from between fifteen and twenty countries. The largest of these tall ships are the classic square-riggers, their beautiful lines guaranteed to impress in a way that few modern vessels can. Seeing these huge vessels under full sail is a real thrill and they make a quite unforgettable sight, especially when dozens of them set off together on the next leg of their journey. Aboard them, amid the varnished wood, the gilded figureheads, the polished brass and the smells of rope and canvas, there is hard work to be done by the scores of crew needed to raise, adjust and lower sails.

The Tall Ships Races are impressive events in other senses, too. The crews – of whom half must be between 15 and 25 years of age – number around 3,000. They’re typically drawn from around 30 countries. In each of the ports at which the race calls, all kinds of social events are organised.

Enlarge photo

One of the most appealing features of the Tall Ships Races is the ‘cruise in company’, a non-competitive leg in which the emphasis is on enjoyment and exploration. In 2011, the ‘cruise in company’ will be between Greenock and Lerwick and the ships will take around 9 days to complete the 484-mile journey. After leaving the Clyde on 12 July, they’ll be able to explore the beautiful west coast of Scotland, perhaps calling at the ‘guest harbours’ of Campbeltown, Oban, Islay, Ullapool or Stornoway. From there, they might sail to Stromness or Kirkwall in Orkney. In Shetland waters, they’ll be able to spend time at Fair Isle, Scalloway, Cullivoe, Unst or Whalsay before finally tying up in Lerwick on 21 July. At each of these harbours, there will be a warm welcome and a programme of events and activities.

The last time the Tall Ships Races visited Lerwick was in 1999. In that year, after starting in St Malo, the ships reached Shetland via Greenock and the Western Isles, later continuing to Aalborg in Denmark. There were more than 74,000 admissions to the events held in Lerwick to celebrate that visit; these included a Viking parade, a wide range of musical entertainment, inter-ship sports tournaments and tours of Shetland. For many, the music was the highlight; particularly popular was the Spiegeltent, a magnificently atmospheric, mirrored, circular auditorium. It graced Victoria Pier, right in the heart of Lerwick.

The value of sail training is widely acknowledged. It presents young people with real, demanding challenges, encourages self-discipline and promotes self-confidence. In developing these qualities, it can be a life-changing experience. It’s also a great chance to get to know people from other countries and from different cultures and backgrounds. There are opportunities for people of all abilities and many sail training vessels make specific provision for young people with physical or learning difficulties. Generally, sail training vessels are run by charities or by educational or government agencies.

In all these respects, the restored Shetland fishing vessel, Swan is typical of the smaller sail training vessels. It offers regular voyages, of varying length, to young people in Shetland and farther afield. In August 2009, she was one of 18 smaller ships to enter the ‘Small Ships’ Race’, an event organised to coincide with the 2009 Tall Ships Races. Eight young Shetland men and women, aged between 15 and 18, took part, joining the Swan in Orkney and sailing to Greenock for the start of the race to Belfast.

Enlarge photo

Shetland is delighted to have the privilege of hosting the Tall Ships Races, not least because boats are the lifeblood of the community. For almost all of the islands’ history, a boat was not only the sole means of access and internal communication; it was also an essential tool for survival with the prime purpose of providing food and income. However, those working boats were also, from time to time, used for pleasure; they could readily be used for rowing and sailing competitions. Today, the tables have turned and the large, six-oared boats (‘sixareens’) that were once the mainstay of the Shetland fishing fleet are constructed and used purely for competitive pleasure. Similarly, many examples of the smaller double-ended ‘Shetland model’, essentially an adaptation of the traditional four-oared boat (a ‘fourareen’) are still sailed with great skill in a dozen or more local regattas every year.

Today, boats continue to be one of the kinds of glue that bond the community together and there’s a huge pool of knowledge and enthusiasm in the islands, along with exceptional boating facilities. Add to those assets a tradition of warm hospitality and it’s no wonder that Shetland, for centuries a North Atlantic crossroads, regularly features as a port in international yacht races. As we reported in our October 2009 newsletter, the next major race to call in Shetland is the 2010 Round Britain and Ireland Race, which, next June, will include Lerwick as one of its compulsory 48-hour stops. The race, which is sponsored by Shetland Islands Council, is open to yachts of between 30 and 50 feet in length crewed by two people. The vessels make a spectacular sight in the harbour and, of course, when sailing around the islands.

In Lerwick, an organisation has already been established to manage the 2011 event and staff have been appointed to undertake the huge amount of planning and fundraising that will be required. Thanks to the generous support of the Lerwick Port Authority, the team has an office in a newly-restored historic building, the former harbour office, overlooking Victoria Pier. They have also established a website that will track progress.

If you would like to find out more about sail training in general and the Tall Ships Races in particular, there’s plenty of information on the internet. The website of Sail Training International is an excellent place to begin. Information is also available here about sail training within the UK. Finally, if you’re contemplating a move to Shetland and would like to know more about the sail training that’s on offer in the islands, a good source of information is the MySpace page describing the Shetland Sail Training Scheme.

People in Shetland look back with great affection on the 1999 visit by the Tall Ships Races to Lerwick. For 2011, the other main ports of call will be Waterford, Greenock, Stavanger and Halmstad. All of them, like Lerwick and the dozen ‘guest harbours’, will be trying hard to make the visit to their port spectacular, memorable and unique.