The 50th Anniversary Tall Ship’s is a magnificence opportunity to come to Lisbon to see this Nautical Event and stay at one of the Luxury ARTEH – Hotels and Resorts in Lisbon. Hotels like the Aviz, Bairro Alto Hotel, Britania, Janelas Verdes, Lisboa Plaza, Palácio Belmonte, Solar do Castelo and York House.
The History
This Nautical Event has a particular significance for the City of Lisbon and for Portugal, as it commemorates not only the 50th Anniversary of the First Tall Ships’ Race, but also the fact of these Races being idealized, in 1954, by the Portuguese Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the London Solicitor Bernard Morgan, with the aim of gathering together the Tall Ships still operative after the 2nd World War. The other objective was to provide a way for young trainees to embark on these Sailing Ships and thus improve their personal abilities and skills, through the work and life on board and cooperation with youngsters of other nationalities.
Having succeeded to obtain the support of Lord Mountbatten and of the Duke of Edinburgh, these two seafarers, together with other influent people of the nautical world, formed a Commission to start to organize the Race, which was to be launched in 1956, with the participation of 20 large and medium Sailing Ships, amongst which were the old Sail Training Ship “SAGRES”, now in Hamburg, and the yacht “BELLATRIX”, property of the Ambassador, already dismantled.
The success of this event was such that, since that date, the Races never ceased to happen, first, every two years and after 1964, annually, accompanying the refitting and the construction of more and more new ones, the number of Training Ships participating in these Races increased to 100 or 120 units, representing countries from Europe, North and South Americas, Asia and Oceania.
Since 1956, the City of Lisbon has been connected to the Tall Ships’ Races, having received the Sailing Ships and their crews participating in the Races of 1964, 1982, 1992, 1998 (coinciding with the EXPO 98) in Lisbon, as well as the City of Oporto, which received this Race in 1994.
The Race
With about 80 Sailing Ships of various classes involved, amongst them some of the most impressive Sailing Ships of the world and the splendid Mir, built for the Russian Sail Training Association in Poland's Gdansk Shipyard in 1988, with 2,385 tons and 109.2 meters long, and a 2,771 square meter sail count.
This race will start with the reunion of the Sailing Ships at St. Malo – France, from the 6th to the 9th July, from there leaving for the First Race, with the starting line off Torbay, in the South of England, and the finishing line in Lisbon, thus replicating the original course of the 1956 Race.
The fleet of the participating ships, which is foreseen to start to enter the Tagus River as from the 17th July, will be offered an Official Programme in Lisbon, from the 20th to the 23rd July, closing on this last day, with a Sail Parade along the Tagus River.
Then, the Sailing Ships will follow in cruise to Cadiz – Spain, staying in this port from 26th to the 29th July, and from Cadiz, still in cruise, to La Coruńa – Spain, where they will stay from the 7th to the 9th August.
Finally, on the 10th of August, the fleet will depart from La Coruńa for the Second Race, finishing at Antwerp – Belgium, where they will stay from 19th to the 22nd August, participating in the final celebration of this important nautical event.
The Lisbon Programme
As from the 15th of July, expanding to the 20th and thru the 23rd of July, the Alcantara Dockyard, receiving this Race, will be transformed in a place of constant animation, offering Amusement, Culture and History thru the intensive contact with the things related with the sea and the nautical-maritime activities that go together with the realization of one of the biggest nautical events in the world.
Sugestăo de Hotéis ARTEH® em Lisboa, Portugal
As Janelas Verdes
Bairro Alto Hotel
Hotel Aviz
Hotel Britania
Hotel Lisboa Plaza
Palácio Belmonte
Pestana Palace
Solar do Castelo
York House |
