Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge

Guest blogger Mariana Schroeder tells us how the Dutch fared in the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge.

Nearly 40 ships sailed into Belfast earlier this month. They are part of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge, a boat race that began in Vigo, Spain and ended in Belfast after sailing to the Canary Islands, Bermuda, South Carolina, Boston, and Halifax. Not surprisingly, considering Holland’s rich sea-faring history, five ships from the Netherlands took part. In fact two of the Dutch ships swept the honors, coming in first and third overall.

Tall ships in Belfast Harbour. Photo: Leo Murray

Scottish pipes saluted the great sailing ships as they arrived in Belfast Harbor, but no one seemed to care - the half-million people who crowded around the docks for the 4-day festival weren’t there for the music, they were there for the ships. About 35 ships made the final leg from Halifax, finally dropping anchor at the docks along the River Lagan. They were joined by other tall ships like the Dutch topsail schooner Oosterschelde (which didn’t participate in the entire race, but came for the festival), Europa, and Tecla, the Dutch gaff ketch that won the race.

Tecla - a 37.5 meter ship - was built in 1915 for fishing herring. She is now owned by the Dutch family who sail her with the help of a sea-going dog and up to 20 trainees. Tecla was declared overall winner on “corrected time” of the fifth and final leg of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge. “Corrected time” is calculated using a complicated system to allow vessels to compete on a level footing, despite differing size or sail area.

Docked just in front is another famous Dutch ship, the beautiful 3-masted barque Europa, first launched in 1911. She has a crew of 61 and a captain who many say is the best in the tall ship fleet. The legendary Captain Klaas brought his 56-meter ship in to win third place overall and second in class A - that is ships over 40 meters in length.

1991 was the last time Tall Ships sailed into Belfast Harbor, but it was nothing like this event, which more than half a million people - more than the population of the city - attended. This is a real race, but the challenge isn’t just about winning, it’s about sailing. And there’s no better way to experience that than actually being on board… but if that’s not an option for you, the next best thing is to take a boat out into the harbor and follow these grand ladies of the sea as they leave port. The ships had a brisk breeze or what sailors would call a force 4 or 5 wind as they left Belfast harbor.

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