sail training

sail training, the modern term for crewing a sailing ship as a naval or merchant marine cadet or as an adventure experience for those not following a seagoing career. The vessels sailed are known as tall ships, meaning that they have high masts, often square rigged.

The advent of power-only vessels cancelled the necessity for career training in sail. However, the British Navy kept a sail training squadron and their brigs were in commission until the early years of the 20th century. Some commercial sailing shipowners also continued to take apprentices, believing in training in sail even for crews who would later serve in power-only ships. Up to the First World War (1914–18) some American states ran sea schools in vessels lent by the US Navy for boys intent on merchant service careers. Between the wars many navies continued to train cadets under sail, valuing the sail training ship environment where individual effort matters and the need for teamwork is apparent. Sailing school ships and cargo vessels also offered some adventure training and seagoing experience.

After the Second World War (1939–45) reparations changed ownership of several large sailing cargo and cadet ships but Britain took no part in the redistribution. In 1954 the Sail Training International Race Committee was started to organize an International Tall Ships' Race from Torbay to Lisbon, which took place in 1956, attracting twenty ships representing eleven nations. After the race the Sail Training Association (STA) was formed and ran races, at first every other year and then annually from 1964. The largest British crew in the 1956 Lisbon race competed in Creole, the 58-metre (190-ft) staysail schooner lent by Greek shipowner Stavros S. Niarchos. It was not until the STA had the 41-metre (136-ft) LOA three-masted topsail schooner Sir Winston Churchill built in 1966, followed two years later by her sister ship Malcolm Miller, that the UK once again had sizeable sail training ships in regular use. The American Sail Training Association (ASTA) was established in 1973 on similar lines to the STA, and many other countries have followed suit with their own sail training organizations.

Many navies and merchant marine academies still train cadets in sailing ships; some also take civilian trainees. Dedicated school ships run courses in maritime and general studies and many other vessels offer adventure sailing. Passenger sailing ships take trainees for international races or port festivals. The modern sail training fleet includes ships of many different rigs (see table), either newly built or remaining from the later days of commercial sail, as well as reconstructions and replicas. A significant number, many since 1990, were built specifically for sail training. Most tall ships are at sea throughout the year. Many regularly take part in the international races.

In 1972 the STA races became the Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Races and were run by the International Sail Training Association (ISTA), a subsidiary of the STA. Then in 2002 Sail Training International was formed by organizations from Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, UK, and USA, and this now runs the European Tall Ships' Races. The races attract an average of 70–100 vessels representing twenty nations; they range from the largest sail training ship, the Russian barque Sedov, with a sparred length of 122 metres (400 ft), to yachts 9 metres (30 ft) on the waterline owned by clubs, scout groups, and similar organizations. There are usually two races and a cruise-in-company, and the ships visit four European ports where crew contests are held on shore. Transatlantic races are held at regular intervals. The STA no longer organizes the races and is now incorporated in the Tall Ships Youth Trust which runs the 60-metre (195-ft) brigs Stavros S. Niarchos and Prince William.

Each year hundreds of thousands (often millions) of visitors come to see the tall ships, their crews and the parades of sail, and 3,000–4,000 trainees aged 15–25 take part. Some are regular cadets while others pay for their berths. Ships and their crews are viewed as ambassadors for their nations. See also jubilee sailing trust.

Table of Sail Training Ships over 40 metres (131 ft) sparred length (that is, overall including ^*bowsprit, ^*bumpkin, etc.). Ships in Class A category in Sail Training International races are from 40 metres on deck (stempost to ^*sternpost)

Ship	Country	Built	Rig	Sparred length (metres)	Sparred length (feet)
Sedov	Russia	1920	Barque	122.3	401.3
Kruzenshtern	Russia	1926	Barque	114.5	375.7
Esmeralda	Chile	1952	Barquentine	113.0	370.7
Nippon Maru II	Japan	1984	Barque	110.1	361.2
Kaiwo Maru II	Japan	1984	Barque	110.1	361.2
Mir	Russia	1987	Ship rigged	109.6	359.6
Khersones	Ukraine	1988	Ship rigged	109.6	359.6
Pallada	Russia	1988	Ship rigged	109.4	358.9
Nadezhda	Russia	1991	Ship rigged	109.4	358.9
Druzhba	Russia	1987	Ship rigged	109.4	358.9
Dar Mlodziezy	Poland	1982	Ship rigged	109.2	358.3
Juan Sebastian de Elcano	Spain	1927	Schooner	106.8	350.4
Amerigo Vespucci	Italy	1931	Ship rigged	104.2	341.9
Libertad	Argentina	1956	Ship rigged	102.6	336.6
Statsraad Lehmkuhl	Norway	1914	Barque	98.7	323.8
Cuauhtemoc	Mexico	1982	Barque	90.8	297.9
Eagle	USA	1936	Barque	89.9	295.0
Gorch Fock II	Germany	1958	Barque	89.2	292.7
Sagres II	Portugal	1937	Barque	88.9	291.7
Simon Bolivar	Venezuela	1979	Barque	86.2	282.8
Mircea	Romania	1938	Barque	82.1	269.4
Kajama	Canada	1930	Schooner	80.2	263.0
Guayas	Ecuador	1976	Barque	79.5	260.8
Mercator	Belgium	1932	Barquentine	78.5	257.6
Cisne Branco	Brazil	1999	Ship rigged	78.0	255.9
Stad Amsterdam	The Netherlands	1999	Ship rigged	78.0	255.9
Gloria	Colombia	1968	Barque	76.0	249.3
Danmark	Denmark	1932	Ship rigged	75.9	249.0
Caledonia	Canada	1962	Barquentine	74.7	245.0
Christian Radich	Norway	1937	Ship rigged	72.2	236.9
Palinuro	Italy	1934	Barquentine	69.6	228.4
Creoula	Portugal	1937	Schooner	67.4	221.1
Grossherzogin Elisabeth	Germany	1909	Schooner	65.8	216.0
Tenacious	UK	2000	Barque	65.0	213.3
Sorlandet	Norway	1927	Ship rigged	65.0	213.3
Alexander von Humboldt	Germany	1906	Barque	62.6	205.4
Elissa	USA	1877	Barque	62.5	205.0
Swan fan Makkum	The Netherlands	1993	Brigantine	62.0	203.4
Capitan Miranda	Uruguay	1930	Schooner	61.9	203.1
Niagara	USA	1998	Brig	60.4	198.0
Europa	The Netherlands	1911	Barque	60.0	196.9
Artemis	The Netherlands	1926	Barque	60.0	196.9
Gunilla	Sweden	1940	Barque	59.5	195.2
Stavros S. Niarchos	UK	2000	Brig	59.4	194.7
Prince William	UK	2001	Brig	59.4	194.7
Eendracht	The Netherlands	1989	Schooner	59.1	193.9
Dewarutji	Indonesia	1952	Barquentine	58.2	191.0
Belem	France	1896	Barque	58.0	190.3
Concordia	Bahamas	1992	Barquentine	57.5	188.7
Bluenose II	Canada	1963	Schooner	55.2	181.0
Lord Nelson	UK	1985	Barque	54.9	180.0
Picton Castle	Canada	1928	Barque	54.6	179.0
Gazela Philadelphia	USA	1883	Barquentine	54.3	178.0
Fryderyk Chopin	Poland	1990	Brig	54.1	177.5
Tarangini	India	1997	Barque	54.0	177.2
Georg Stage	Denmark	1934	Ship rigged	54.0	177.2
Akogare	Japan	1992	Schooner	52.2	171.2
Leeuwin	Australia	1986	Barquentine	52.1	170.9
Mare Frisium	The Netherlands	1916	Schooner	52.0	170.6
Victory Chimes	USA	1900	Schooner	51.8	170.0
Pride of Baltimore II	USA	1988	Schooner	51.8	170.0
Bounty	USA	1960	Ship rigged	51.5	169.0
Shabab Oman	Oman	1971	Barquentine	51.5	169.0
Jeanie Johnston	Ireland	2000	Barque	51.0	167.3
Fridtjof Nansen	Germany	1919	Schooner	51.0	167.3
Roald Amundsen	Germany	1952	Brig	50.0	164.1
Thor Heyerdahl	Germany	1930	Schooner	49.8	163.5
Pogoria	Poland	1980	Barquentine	49.6	162.7
Den Store Bjorn	Denmark	1902	Schooner	49.4	162.0
Iskra	Poland	1982	Barquentine	48.8	160.1
Zodiac	USA	1924	Schooner	48.8	160.0
Kaliakra	Bulgaria	1984	Barquentine	48.5	159.1
Linden	Finland	1992	Schooner	48.0	157.5
Oosterschelde	The Netherlands	1918	Schooner	47.8	156.8
Tole Mour	USA	1988	Schooner	47.6	156.0
Highlander Sea	USA	1924	Schooner	47.0	154.2
Kaskelot	UK	1948	Barque	46.6	153.0
Margaret Todd	USA	1998	Schooner	46.0	151.0
Kaisei	Japan	1990	Brigantine	46.0	150.9
Ernestina	USA	1984	Schooner	45.6	149.4
Alma Doepel	Australia	1903	Schooner	45.5	149.3
Spirit of New Zealand	New Zealand	1986	Barquentine	45.2	148.3
Windy II	USA	2001	Barquentine	45.1	148.0
Windy	USA	1996	Schooner	45.1	148.0
Endeavour	Australia	1993	Ship rigged	44.4	145.6
Earl of Pembroke	UK	1945	Barque	44.2	145.0
Young Endeavour	Australia	1997	Brigantine	44.0	144.4
Tunas Samudera	Malaysia	1989	Brigantine	44.0	144.4
One and All	Australia	1985	Brigantine	43.0	141.1
Zawisza Czarny	Poland	1952	Schooner	42.7	140.1
Kalmar Nyckel	USA	1997	Ship rigged	43.0	141.0
Soren Larsen	UK	1949	Brigantine	42.7	140.0
Pacific Grace	Canada	1999	Schooner	42.3	138.6
Denis Sullivan	USA	2000	Schooner	42.1	138.0
Bill of Rights	USA	1971	Schooner	41.5	136.0
Wilhelm Pieck	Germany	1951	Brigantine	41.0	134.5
Robert C. Seamans	USA	2000	Brigantine	41.0	134.5
La Recouvrance	France	1992	Schooner	41.0	134.5
Corwith Cramer	USA	1987	Brigantine	41.0	134.5
Ji Fung	Hong Kong	1980	Schooner	40.2	132.0
Svanen	Australia	1922	Barquentine	40.0	131.2

Rosemary Mudie