Representative of the Port Authority took part in the meeting regarding races “The Culture Tall Ships Regatta 2011“

 

It is planned that in 2011 the ships of the aforesaid races will come back to the 4-day festival in Klaipėda. 

 

“The Tall Ships Races“ (now – “The Culture Tall Ships Regatta 2011“), which started officially in 1956, made a huge impact on two global tendencies: establishment of national sailing training associations worldwide and trend for numerous other races, events and festivals related to sailing ships. After several years the regatta had become so popular that soon it was organized all over the world. “The Tall Ships Races“ fleet had grown from 22 vessels in 1956 to more than 100 participants in recent years.

 

The present regatta is especially relevant to Lithuania as on 31 July – 3 August of the last year, the final stage of the races was organized on the route Turku–Klaipėda. 99 sailing ships visited Klaipėda in 2009. The “Tall Ships Regatta“was a special event for Lithuania: for the first time in our country’s history so many sailing ships under foreign flags visited the port of Klaipėda simultaneously. This top level event contributed to the promotion of Lithuania as a maritime state, and consolidation of the image of the port as not only a freight but also a sails ship port for people of our own and foreign countries.