First of many for city’s Tall Ships
WOODEN-HULLED VESSEL WILL BE SAILING INTO SUNDERLAND PORT FOR HISTORIC EVENT
Sunderland has signed its first ship to take part in next summer’s Tall Ships Races.
International training ship Atyla is setting course for the Tall Ships Races 2018 when the event arrives in Sunderland for the first time in the city’s history.
The event is in Sunderland from July 11, until July 14, 2018.
Then, following a parade of sail along the coastline, the participants will head out across the North Sea and race to Esbjerg, in Denmark.
The city council’s portfolio holder for culture, Coun John Kelly, said: “The Tall Ships Races Sunderland 2018 will be one of the biggest events the city has ever seen.
“Attracting visitors from across the country and beyond, it is set to be a fantastic opportunity for the city to reaffirm its friendly, welcoming reputation.”
The races in 2018 start in Sunderland and then proderland, ceed to Esbjerg before heading to Stavanger, in Norway, and finishing in Harlingen, in the Netherlands.
Director of Tall ships Races 2018 in Sunderland, Michelle Daurat, said: “Working with Port of Sun- we will be hosting a fantastic four-day event with everything from tall ships, cultural activities and exhibitions to parades, live entertainment and, of course, spectacular fireworks too.”
Captain of Atyla, Rodrigo de la Serna, said: “Atyla is one of the very few handmade wooden-hulled tall ships in the world that still operates.
“An original design inspired on the schooners of the 19th century, she looks like something out of a pirate movie.
“We are really looking forward to coming to Sunderland for the Tall Ships Races in 2018.”