Crew parades, harbor festivals and of course the collective struggle for placement on the water - the annual Tall Ships Races are a colorful and international world in themselves. Tall ships and traditional ships from all over the world compete in the windjammer regattas, at least half of the crew must be between 15 and 25 years old.
Various grants are given every year by the international tall ship organization Sail Training International and the national associations in order to enable as many young people as possible from different countries to participate in a "race". One of the sailing grants is the "Oman Bursary" for 15 to 25-year-olds who want to take part in a Tall Ships regatt for the first time, but cannot manage the trip out of their own pocket.
Pulling a rope together - trainees on deck
The application period for the program for participation in one of the Tall Ships Races 2017 has now been opened, the principle of "first come, first served" applies: Those who apply early have a better chance of being accepted. Participation as a "trainee", that is, as a fellow sailor, on one of the participating ships is subsidized with a maximum of 500 euros. Everything is possible, from the small traditional ship to the impressive three-masted barque. The four stages of the Tall Ships Races 2017 will lead from Sweden via Finland to Lithuania and Poland, plus the anniversary event "Rendez-vous 2017", which will take you across the Atlantic to Bermuda and Boston and back to Europe.
There is no fixed application deadline; in the past few years, according to Sail Training International, around one hundred places were taken by March. The "Oman Bursary" of the STI and the Gulf State has existed since 2012. Around 500 people have so far been funded by the program, which according to the current status is to be continued until 2020.
The application form (in English) can be downloaded here and completed and sent to [email protected]. The German Sail Training Association Germany ([email protected]) also answers questions.
The tall ships races are always a celebration for sailors and visitors