The Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Race is a long-distance race for sailing ships. The races were originally sponsored by Berry Brothers and Rudd - marketers of Cutty Sark Scotch Whisky (the Cutty Sark being their trade mark as well as a preserved tea clipper lying at Greenwich in London). The race is held annually in European waters and consists of two racing legs of several hundred nautical miles, and a "cruise in company" between the legs.
The phrase tall ship was coined to describe the participating ships. Participating vessels are manned by a largely cadet or trainee crew who are partaking in sail training. Trainees are non-professional sailors mostly between 16 and 25 years of age. Thus, tall ship does not describe a specific type of sailing vessel, but rather the purpose of training and sail education to which that vessel is dedicated. Participating ships range from yachts to the large square-rigged training ships run by Navy and fishery authorities of many countries.
The race
The first Cutty Sark Tall Ships' race was held in 1956. It was a race of five of the world's remaining large sailing ships organized by Bernard Morgan, a London lawyer. The race was from Torquay, Cornwall to Lisbon and back, and was meant to be a last farewell to the era of the great sailing ships. Public interest was so intense, however, that race organizers founded the Sail Training International association to direct the planning of future events. Since then Tall Ships' Races have occurred annually in various parts of the world, with millions of spectators. Today, the race attracts more than hundred ships, among these some of the largest sailing ships in existence.
Sail Training International
Sail Training International (STI) is the international association of some twenty national organisations devoted to promoting "the education and development of young people of all nationalities, religions and social backgrounds, through sail training". Besides organising the Tall Ships' Race, STI and its subsidiary organisations manage trainee programmes aboard sailing ships.
By 1900 most commercial sailing vessels were struggling to turn a profit in the face of competition from more modern steam ships which had become efficient enough to steam shorter great circle routes between ports instead of the longer trade wind routes used by sailing ships.
While many countries of the world operated sailing ships as training vessels for officers in their Merchant Marine in the 1920’s and 30’s, several sailing ship owners such as Carl Laeisz and Gustav Erickson determined that there was still a profit to be made from the last of the sailing ships.
While the summer race series are the pinnacle of the sailtraining experience, most maritime nations have government, private and charitably funded ships preserving the ways of seamen from a time gone by, helping the youth and the “young at heart” find themselves and working somewhere off their coasts on short trips year round.
Participating vessels are manned by a largely cadet or trainee crew who are partaking in sailtraining.
Thus, tall ship does not describe a specific type of sailing vessel, but rather the purpose of training and sail education to which that vessel is dedicated.
SailTrainingInternational (STI) is the international association of some twenty national organisations devoted to promoting "the education and development of young people of all nationalities, religions and social backgrounds, through sailtraining".
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