Tall Ships Race -- Dublin

Tall Ships Race -- Dublin, photo by Willie Waw.

Tall Ships line the quays on both side of the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland -- this was from the 1998 series.

The annual European races are organized by Sail Training International (STI) and the annual North American races (Tall Ships Challenge Race Series) are run by the American Sail Training Association (ASTA).

This year's 50th Anniversary European Tall Ships Race will run from St. Malo, France to Lisbon, to Cadiz and La Coruna, Spain and will end in Antwerp, Belgium. Many of the ships carry only youth and cadet sail trainees, but others have space for adults interested in adventure travel.

The 2006 Tall Ships Challenge will go from Cleveland to Bay City, Michigan, on to Green Bay, Wisconsin with a finish in Chicago. Each port will host a maritime festival giving the public a chance to go aboard the ships and talk with the crew. There are often opportunities to go out for a daysail during the festivals.

Schooner Californian in San Diego

Schooner Californian in San Diego, photo by Willie Waw.

The Californian is owned and operated by the Maritime Museum of San Diego. She was launched in celebration of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

She is a replica of a revenue cutter that patrolled the coast during the Gold Rush.

She is 145 feet in length (including her bowsprit) and carries 7,000 sq. ft. of sail.


Link here for more information or to go aboard for a sail.

Exy and Tucker

Exy and Tucker, photo by Willie Waw.

Brigantine Exy Johnson (left) from the L.A. Maritime Institute and the topsail ketch R. Tucker Thompson from New Zealand start the light-wind race from Oxnard to Los Angeles in the 2005 ASTA Tall Ships Challenge Series.

Visit the LAMI web site for more info on wonderful sailing opportunities for youth and adults on the Exy Johnson and the Irving Johnson.

Visit the R. Tucker Thompson web site to learn about sailing in New Zealand

Windsurfing Debut

Windsurfing Debut, photo by Willie Waw.

Son Jesse out in breezy conditions for the first ride of the season near Wickford -- the water is still cold, but he loves to sail barefoot!

Storm's Coming

Storm's Coming, photo by Willie Waw.

Sequence of four shots of a spring thunder squall in Wickford this evening -- taken over a period of 30 minutes.

Rain Squall

Rain Squall, photo by Willie Waw.

Second in sequence -- small hail and driving rain in thunder squall.

After Storm Rainbow

After Storm Rainbow, photo by Willie Waw.

Rainbow appeared over the Jamestown bridge after the squall blew through. 3rd in sequence.

Clearing Off

Clearing Off, photo by Willie Waw.

Bright spring greens against a lingering dark sky in Wickford harbor. 4th in sequence.

Tide's Out in Saint John

Tide's Out in Saint John, photo by Willie Waw.

Spectators on the pier have a wonderful view of the crew of the Picton Castle furling sails prior to the start of Tall Ships Saint John in 2004. Tidal range in the Bay of Fundy is very large -- the range in the port of Saint John is 26 feet.

The Picton Castle is currently in the Caribbean near the end of it's fourth 'round-the-world voyage. Link here to follow the ship. You can sail on her in the Great Lakes this summer during the 2006 ASTA Tall Ships Challenge Series.

Barque Gorch Fock Under Full Sail

Barque Gorch Fock from Germany, photo by Willie Waw.

The Gorch Fock (II) is the German Naval Sail Training Ship based in Kiel. She was commissioned in 1958. Her four sister ships were built from 1933-1938 and are based in Germany, USA, Portugal and Romania.

She is expected to visit Newport, Rhode Island from June 27-July 1st, 2007 as part of Tall Ships Rhode Island 2007 and the Tall Ships Challenge Series.

The training ship Barque Lord Nelson is seen in the distance in this picture taken soon after the start of the Tall Ships 2000 race from Cadiz to Bermuda.

Tall Ships Race to the Bay Area

Tall Ships Race to San Francisco, photo by Willie Waw.

Topsail Ketch Hawaiian Chieftain, Schooner Zodiac and Barque Europa prepare for a light-air start to the race from Cape Flattery in Washington down the Pacific Coast to San Francisco in the 2002 Tall Ships Challenge Series.

These vessels were built in 1989, 1924 and 1911, respectively -- all are very active in sail training and have many types of voyages.

The Europa is currently sailing from Cape Town to the Azores en route to her home port in the Netherlands.

Brig Pilgrim and Brigantine Exy Johnson

Brig Pilgrim and Brigantine Exy Johnson, photo by Willie Waw.

Brig Pilgrim (alongside the dock) is a 1945 full-scale replica of the sailing vessel Richard Henry Dana sailed aboard and wrote about in 'Two Years Before the Mast." She was built in Denmark and is now owned and operated by the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California.

The Exy Johnson and her twin (the Irving Johnson) were built in San Pedro in 2002 and carry youth on sail training voyages for the L.A. Maritime Institute.

Gaff Ketch Jens Krogh

Ketch Jens Krogh, photo by Willie Waw.

Historic 80-foot Jens Krogh from Denmark was built as a fishing vessel in 1899 and was coverted to a sail training vessel in 1973. She regularly carries sea scouts and other sail trainees on voyages short and long.

Here she is starting a transatlantic race from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Amsterdam as part of Tall Ships 2000.

Two of my children joined her crew for a voyage along the north coast of Spain and the race to England in the 2002 Tall Ships Race.

Link here for more about the Jens Krogh in English and here for their official web site in Danish.

Schooner Racing at Mayor's Cup

Schooner Racing at Mayor's Cup, photo by Willie Waw.

Close schooner racing action in the Hudson River at the 2002 Mayor's Cup Regatta, which was part of the 1000-boat 'Sail for America' event.

Amistad and Picton Castle

Amistad and Picton Castle, photo by Willie Waw.

Freedom Schooner Amistad and Barque Picton Castle shared a pier during the 2004 ASTA Tall Ships Challenge series port visit to Newport.

The re-created Amistad was built at Mystic Seaport from 1998-2000 and is based in New Haven.

The 176-foot Picton Castle was built in 1928 in Swansea in Wales as a motorized fishing vessel. She was later used as a minesweeper and cargo vessel before being converted to sail from 1996-1998. She is currently on her fourth world voyage and is off Brazil bound for Grenada. Link here to follow her progress to the Caribbean, Bermuda, Nova Scotia and the Great Lakes.

Pride II Heading for the Great Lakes

Pride II in Muskegon, photo by Willie Waw.

The beautiful Pride of Baltimore II has just sailed back to Baltimore after spending the winter in St. Nazaire, France having her rig rebuilt.

Captain Jan Miles stayed with the ship until the construction was complete, then brought her from France to Lisbon where Captain John Beebe-Center took command and sailed her to the Canaries, Puerto Rico and back to the Chesapeake. Congratulations to all who were on the reconstruction team and those who sailed her back home.

After all the Volvo Ocean Race hubbub dies down in Baltimore and Annapolis, she'll be heading for the Great Lakes to join the 2006 ASTA Tall Ships Challenge Series. Host ports are Cleveland, Bay City, Green Bay and Chicago. Click on the ASTA link for more details on the series and on the Tall Ship Tracking link to follow Pride II's progress.