Tall Ships' Race

An international series of races and cruises for sail-training ships, run by Sail Training International, first held in 1956 from Torbay to Lisbon. Crews must be largely young trainees, and the fleet mixes square-rigged Class A ships with smaller fore-and-aft rigged vessels in classes B, C, and D. The event combines a timed race leg with a slower cruise-in-company between host ports, the emphasis being youth development at sea rather than pure speed. The Tall Ships Races now visit ports across Europe each summer.