SAIL Amsterdam
Encyclopedia
SAIL Amsterdam is a large maritime
event held every five years in Amsterdam
, Netherlands
. Tall ship
s from all over the world visit the city to moor in its Eastern harbour, and people can then visit the ships for four days (free of charge).
The event was organised for the first time in 1975 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of Amsterdam, under the name 'Sail Amsterdam 700'. At that time, interest in tall ships, which had sunk to a low since the 1930s when the last commercial tall ships had been built, was starting to rise. The success of Sail Amsterdam 700 led to the establishment of the Stichting Sail Amsterdam (SSA, Foundation Sail Amsterdam).
Sail is one of the largest maritime manifestations in the world, and the largest event of any kind in the Netherlands. Tens of tall ships and hundreds of other historical ships are involved. Numerous other ships and boats are present besides the participating ships, amounting to 8000 boats in the 2000 edition.
Lesser events take place during the festival, involving small sailboats, sailor choirs or re-enactments of naval battles. The Sail In or Parade of Sail on the first day attracts many other small ships, including creations like a sailing organ (with trumpet accompaniment) or a train converted to a ship. On the next to last day there is a naval pageant and on the last day the 'Sail Out'. The Next Sail Amsterdam will be held from 20 August to 24 August 2015.
s (either real sailing ships or fakes that have to be towed), hundreds of classical sail- and steamships ('het Nationaal Varend Erfgoed' - the Sailing National Heritage) and some modern marine ships. New that year were several modern yachts and a submarine, the Hr Ms Zeeleeuw.
The tall ships were moored in the IJhaven (IJ harbour) and in Amsterdam North (across 't IJ
) and the Varend Erfgoed boats were moored in the Oosterdok nearby, where one can also find the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum (a maritime museum
) with its (fake) replica of a Dutch East India Company
(VOC) ship, which is permanently moored there. Absent was another Dutch replica of a VOC ship (a 'real' seaworthy replica), the Batavia
, with its home port in Lelystad
, not too far from Amsterdam.
The main ships, in the order of the official walking-route were (with length and Nation of origin):
Smaller events included an exposition of yacht building in the newly built Muziekgebouw ('music building'), many music stages, food from all corners of the Earth, fireworks every night at 10 o'clock, a parade of sailors in uniform and the 'Pieremachocheltocht' (even the organisation isn't sure what the word means), a parade of carnavalesque floating creations (open to anyone).
Costs of the event were around 7,5 million €. Direct financial benefits are from sponsoring, catering and sales of souvenirs.
This year's three themes were the maritime link between past, present and future, the connection of worlds and cultures and youth, with the binding motto 'Enjoy a world of friendships' (in English - the pun doesn't work in Dutch
).
On the first day, the ships gather in the sluice of IJmuiden for the Sail In or Parade of Sail through the North Sea Canal
to Amsterdam, led by the event's flagship. In 2005 that was the Stad Amsterdam, which was supposed to reach Amsterdam first, but she ran aground (allegedly the fact that the Dutch crown prince Willem Alexander
was at the helm had nothing to do with that), so the Statsraad Lehmkuhl came in first (it's not a contest, though). Amsterdam's harbour is known to be very shallow (a centuries old problem) and the Stad Amsterdam is a 'deep' ship. But luckily the ground is also very soggy, so there is not likely to have been any damage.
In 2005 Sail Bremerhaven was held one week before SAIL Amsterdam (10–14 August) and it was decided to make that a five-yearly event as well, which will be convenient for the ships since they are already in the neighbourhood.
Sail Amsterdam 2005 logo contest was won by Lamouri Merouane. A former student of a design school in Amsterdam (Grafisch Lyceum Amsterdam) He is originally from Algeria (Algiers). His logo was finally chosen and used through the entire event.
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
event held every five years in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Tall ship
Tall ship
A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall Ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or festival....
s from all over the world visit the city to moor in its Eastern harbour, and people can then visit the ships for four days (free of charge).
The event was organised for the first time in 1975 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of Amsterdam, under the name 'Sail Amsterdam 700'. At that time, interest in tall ships, which had sunk to a low since the 1930s when the last commercial tall ships had been built, was starting to rise. The success of Sail Amsterdam 700 led to the establishment of the Stichting Sail Amsterdam (SSA, Foundation Sail Amsterdam).
Sail is one of the largest maritime manifestations in the world, and the largest event of any kind in the Netherlands. Tens of tall ships and hundreds of other historical ships are involved. Numerous other ships and boats are present besides the participating ships, amounting to 8000 boats in the 2000 edition.
Lesser events take place during the festival, involving small sailboats, sailor choirs or re-enactments of naval battles. The Sail In or Parade of Sail on the first day attracts many other small ships, including creations like a sailing organ (with trumpet accompaniment) or a train converted to a ship. On the next to last day there is a naval pageant and on the last day the 'Sail Out'. The Next Sail Amsterdam will be held from 20 August to 24 August 2015.
SAIL Amsterdam 2005
SAIL Amsterdam 2005 was held from 17 to 22 August, the 7th edition of the festival. The event was expected to attract 2 to 3 million visitors. The amount of tall ships depends on the definition, but figures vary from 21 (the official figure) to over 50 (those with at least 3 masts). Other historical ships number around 600. There were also several ship replicaShip replica
A ship replica is a reconstruction of a no longer existing ship. Replicas can range from authentically reconstructed, fully seaworthy ships, to ships of modern construction that give an impression of an historic vessel...
s (either real sailing ships or fakes that have to be towed), hundreds of classical sail- and steamships ('het Nationaal Varend Erfgoed' - the Sailing National Heritage) and some modern marine ships. New that year were several modern yachts and a submarine, the Hr Ms Zeeleeuw.
The tall ships were moored in the IJhaven (IJ harbour) and in Amsterdam North (across 't IJ
IJ (bay)
The IJ is a river, formerly a bay, in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is known for being Amsterdam's waterfront. The name derives from the generic Germanic term for "water" and is similar to other Aa/Ee names for bodies of water. In Dutch, the name consists of the digraph ij, which is...
) and the Varend Erfgoed boats were moored in the Oosterdok nearby, where one can also find the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum (a maritime museum
Maritime museum
A maritime museum is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water...
) with its (fake) replica of a Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
(VOC) ship, which is permanently moored there. Absent was another Dutch replica of a VOC ship (a 'real' seaworthy replica), the Batavia
Batavia (ship)
Batavia was a ship of the Dutch East India Company . It was built in Amsterdam in 1628, and armed with 24 cast iron cannons and a number of bronze guns. Batavia was shipwrecked on her maiden voyage, and was made famous by the subsequent mutiny and massacre that took place among the survivors...
, with its home port in Lelystad
Lelystad
Lelystad is a municipality and a city in the centre of the Netherlands, and it is the capital of the province of Flevoland. The city, built on reclaimed land, was founded in 1967 and was named after Cornelis Lely, who engineered the Afsluitdijk, making the reclamation possible...
, not too far from Amsterdam.
The main ships, in the order of the official walking-route were (with length and Nation of origin):
- SedovSedovThe STS Sedov , formerly the Magdalene Vinnen II and the Kommodore Johnsen , is a 4-masted steel barque that for almost 80 years was the largest traditional sailing ship in operation...
(117m,
Russia) (arrived later, on Friday) - TenaciousTenaciousTenacious may refer to:*Tenacious , an American Thoroughbred racehorse*HMS Tenacious, the name of two ships of the Royal Navy, including**HMS Tenacious , a Royal Navy destroyer....
(65 m,
United Kingdom) - Amerigo VespucciAmerigo Vespucci (ship)The Amerigo Vespucci is a tall ship of the Marina Militare, named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Its home port is Livorno, Italy; It is still in use as a school ship....
(104 m,
Italy) - MirSTS MirSTS Mir is a three-masted, full rigged training ship, based in St. Petersburg, Russia. She was built in 1987 at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland. It is one of the fastest modern sailing ships....
(109 m, Russia) - KruzenshternKruzenshtern (ship)The Kruzenshtern or Krusenstern is a four masted barque and tall ship that was built in 1926 at Geestemünde in Bremerhaven, Germany as the Padua . She was surrendered to the USSR in 1946 as war reparation and renamed after the early 19th century Baltic German explorer in Russian service, Adam...
(114 m, Russia) - Prins Willem (the
Netherlands) (a replica) - Stad AmsterdamStad AmsterdamThe Stad Amsterdam is a three-masted clipper that was built in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 2000 at the Damen Oranjewerf....
(76 m, the Netherlands) (the FlagshipFlagshipA flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
) - SørlandetSørlandetSouthern Norway is the name of the geographical region of the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway consisting of the two counties of Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder...
(64 m,
Norway) - EuropaEuropa (ship)Sailing ship Europa is a steel-hulled barque from the Netherlands, originally built in 1911, as a lightship at the H.C. Stülcken & Sohn shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. Its original name was Senator Brockes. Until 1977, it was in use by the German Federal Coast Guard as a lightship on the river Elbe...
(55 m, the Netherlands) - OosterscheldeOosterschelde (ship)The Oosterschelde is a three masted schooner from the Netherlands, built in 1918. She is the largest restored Dutch freightship and the only remaining Dutch three masted topsailschooner, of which there were hundreds in the early 20th century...
(50 m, the Netherlands) - Eendracht (59 m, the Netherlands)
- Sagres II (89 m,
Portugal) - Alexander von HumboldtAlexander von Humboldt (ship)Alexander von Humboldt is a German ship originally built in 1906 by the German shipyard AG Weser at Bremen as Reserve Sonderburg. She was operated throughout the North and Baltic Seas until being retired in 1986...
(63 m,
Germany) - KhersonesKhersones (ship)The Khersones or Chersones is a Ukrainian three-mast tall ship, a full rigged ship. It was built in 1989 in Gdańsk Shipyard, Poland, in a series of six sister ships , after the designs of Zygmunt Choreń...
(110 m,
Ukraine) - PogoriaPogoria (ship)STS Pogoria is a Polish barquentine launched in 1980 in Gdynia. She was designed by Zygmunt Choreń.-History:On 7 July 2009, two of the masts on Pogoria broke at welded joints while the ship was en route to St Petersburg, Russia. The 37 youths onboard were airlifted off the ship by two helicopters...
(49 m,
Poland) - Shabab (52m,
Oman) - Oman ( Oman)
- Dar MlodziezyDar MlodziezyDar Młodzieży is a Polish sailing training ship designed by Zygmunt Choreń and launched in 1982 in the Gdańsk shipyard, Poland. Its home port is Gdynia...
(110 m, Poland) - Kamper Kogge ( Netherlands) (a replica of the kogge, a popular type of ship in the Netherlands in the Middle Ages)
- Statsraad LemkuhlStatsraad LemkuhlThe Statsraad Lehmkuhl is a three-masted barque rigged sail training vessel owned and operated by the Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation. It is based in Bergen, Norway and contracted out for various purposes, including serving as a school ship for the Royal Norwegian Navy .It was built in 1914 as a...
(98 m, Norway) - MirceaMircea (ship)The Mircea is a three masted barque, built in 1938 in Hamburg by the Blohm & Voss shipyard as a training vessel for the Romanian Navy. Her design is based on the successful plans of the Gorch Fock; the last of a series of four sister ships. The ship is named after the Wallachian Prince Mircea the...
(81 m,
Kingdom of Romania) - Dewaruci (63 m,
Indonesia) - TaranginiTarangini* Tarangini is the most prominent musical compositions of Narayana Teertha.* INS Tarangini is a tall ship of the Indian Navy....
(54 m,
India) - KaliakraKaliakra (Tall ship)The Sail Training Vessel Kaliakra is a barquentine, built in 1984 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, after the plans of the Polish technical designer Zygmunt Choreń. She is a property of Bulgarian Maritime Training Centre and is operated by Navigation Maritime Bulgare, Bulgaria...
(52m,
Kingdom of Bulgaria)
Smaller events included an exposition of yacht building in the newly built Muziekgebouw ('music building'), many music stages, food from all corners of the Earth, fireworks every night at 10 o'clock, a parade of sailors in uniform and the 'Pieremachocheltocht' (even the organisation isn't sure what the word means), a parade of carnavalesque floating creations (open to anyone).
Costs of the event were around 7,5 million €. Direct financial benefits are from sponsoring, catering and sales of souvenirs.
This year's three themes were the maritime link between past, present and future, the connection of worlds and cultures and youth, with the binding motto 'Enjoy a world of friendships' (in English - the pun doesn't work in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
).
On the first day, the ships gather in the sluice of IJmuiden for the Sail In or Parade of Sail through the North Sea Canal
North Sea Canal
The North Sea Canal is a Dutch ship canal from Amsterdam to the North Sea at IJmuiden, constructed between 1865 and 1876 to enable seafaring vessels to reach the port of Amsterdam...
to Amsterdam, led by the event's flagship. In 2005 that was the Stad Amsterdam, which was supposed to reach Amsterdam first, but she ran aground (allegedly the fact that the Dutch crown prince Willem Alexander
Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange
Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange is the eldest child of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus. Since 1980 he is the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He is also the head of the House of Amsberg since the death of his father in 2002. He was in military service and he studied...
was at the helm had nothing to do with that), so the Statsraad Lehmkuhl came in first (it's not a contest, though). Amsterdam's harbour is known to be very shallow (a centuries old problem) and the Stad Amsterdam is a 'deep' ship. But luckily the ground is also very soggy, so there is not likely to have been any damage.
In 2005 Sail Bremerhaven was held one week before SAIL Amsterdam (10–14 August) and it was decided to make that a five-yearly event as well, which will be convenient for the ships since they are already in the neighbourhood.
Sail Amsterdam 2005 logo contest was won by Lamouri Merouane. A former student of a design school in Amsterdam (Grafisch Lyceum Amsterdam) He is originally from Algeria (Algiers). His logo was finally chosen and used through the entire event.
Sail Amsterdam 2010
Sail Amsterdam 2010 was held from August 19 until August 23.See also
- Amerigo VespucciAmerigo Vespucci (ship)The Amerigo Vespucci is a tall ship of the Marina Militare, named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Its home port is Livorno, Italy; It is still in use as a school ship....
- List of large sailing vessels
- List of tall ships