The Tall Ships Are Coming!®
2009 Tall Ships® Atlantic Challenge - Next Stop Boston!
Photo courtesy of Sail Training International
With crowds of spectators lining the harbor and surrounding islands, the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge fleet, in a spectacular Parade of Sail led by "America's Tall Ship" the US Coast Guard Barque EAGLE, bid a fond farewell to Charleston and her famous southern hospitality. Hundreds of spectator boats followed their progress as they
made thier way past Fort Sumter and out to sea for the start of race 4 of the series (Charleston to Boston).
As the fleet headed out to the start line, several miles out to sea dark clouds were forming and lightening flashed on the horizon. Twenty minutes before the Class A start at 7pm, the rain drops started to fall making it difficult to see the vessels through the rain. Every so often the weather would clear up and Kruzenshtern could be seen setting her sails and then she would disappear into the mist.
With the weather so uncooperative and the visibility so poor, race officials elected to forego the traditional race start allowing the vessels to take thier own latitudes instead of crossing the start line.
Latest report - Day 1:
The fleet is now getting well into the fourth Race of this epic event; on the water Rona II is out in front with 727 miles to go to Boston. Fazizi lies 28 miles behind her followed by Urania who is another 32 miles behind.
On corrected time, Tecla is lying first overall, with Rona II and Mircea lying in second and third place respectively.
Jolie Brise lies second in Class B to Tecla, followed by Spirit of Bermuda in third place. In class A, Mircea leads, followed by Eagle and then Europa. In Class D, the current order is Rona II, Urania, then Fazizi.
Spirit of Bermuda has decided to take the most westerly course, along with Jolie Brise who is almost - but not quite - as far west.
The wind at the present time is SW 8-12 knots. The above positions were taken at 1200 EDT (Eastern Daylight Time), 1600 UTC/GMT. The Dutch Naval yacht Urania is acting as Race Control, which involves collecting the other ships’ positions.
Follow the progress of the race on the fleet tracker:
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Click here for final results for races 1 - 3 .
The list of all the vessels positions on corrected time can be seen in the Vessel Positions Update.
Jointly organized by Sail Training International (STI) and the American Sail Training Association (ASTA), the TALL SHIPS® ATLANTIC CHALLENGE is a way to experience a foreign culture and to bring the majesty of the tall ships to your doorstep. The participating ships and their crews are ambassadors for their country, eager to learn about the port they are visiting and eager to teach visitors about their homeland. STI and ASTA also invite youth of all ages to become a part of this amazing voyage by becoming a crew member or trainee aboard a tall ship. This unique experience will include port visits, races between host ports and a cruise-in-company. It will truly be a way to become a part of history.