Information Bulletin
27 March 2007
Shetland wins bid to host Tall Ships in 2011
Shetland Islands Council and Lerwick Port Authority are delighted to announce that Lerwick has been selected as a host port for The Tall Ships’ Races 2011.
The race series will begin at Waterford, Ireland and the first race will go to Greenock, Scotland. From there the fleet will cruise in company to Lerwick and the second race will be from there to Stavanger, Norway. A third race will follow on to Cuxhaven, Germany.
Convenor of the Shetland Islands Council, Sandy Cluness said, “ We are delighted to receive this wonderful news. The Tall Ships were such a success in 1999 and we are looking forward to another spectacular occasion in 2011. I would like to congratulate everyone involved making the bid a success”.
Media release ends…
Notes to Editor
Background
The Tall Ships' Races are held every summer in European waters. Each year between 70 and 100 vessels from 15-20 countries, crewed by some 5-6,000 young people from over 30 countries worldwide, take part in this unique event that combines four days of activities in each port with racing or cruising-in-company between ports. During the race series the young crews get the chance to gain experience by sailing with their contemporaries from other countries while facing the physical and emotional challenges that only the ocean can provide.
A 'Tall Ship' is not necessarily one of the glamorous square-riggers. Entry is open to any monohull sailing vessel of more than 9.14m waterline length, provided that at least 50 percent of the crew are aged between 15 and 25 years and that the vessel meets Sail Training International's safety equipment requirements.
The Tall Ships Races were hosted in Shetland in 1999, which attracted over 70 vessels and over 3000 crew-members, and drew crowds of over 20,000 during the event.
For more information, please visit www.talllshipsraces.com.