The three Norwegian class A ships ‘Christian Radich’, ‘Sørlandet’ and ‘Statsraad Lehmkuhl’ will participate in this year's Tall Ships' Races. The ships will arrive in Liverpool on 18 July, and are docking at Sandon Dock in Liverpool's Merseyside.
Along with nearly 100 other tall ships, the Norwegian ships will be setting sail towards Norway’s Måløy and Bergen on 21 July. The Tall Ships' Races are held every summer in European waters. Each year between 70 and 100 vessels from 15-20 countries, crewed by some 5 - 6000 young people from over 30 countries worldwide, take part in this unique event that combines four days of activities in each port with racing or cruising-in-company between ports. During the race series young crews get the chance to gain experience by sailing with crews from other countries while facing the physical and emotional challenges that only the ocean can provide.
‘Christian Radich’ is one of Norway’s well known sailing ambassadors. The ship functioned as a sail training ship from the start in 1937 to 1998. Now the ship acts as training ship for the Norwegian Navy during the winter season. During the summer period, the ship offers voyages for school classes, events for companies and private parties, and participates in the Tall Ships’ Races. With 1.360 m² of sail, almost 9000 metres of rope and a 37,7 metres tall main mast, ‘Christian Radich’ has proven hard to beat.
‘Sørlandet’ was built in Kristiansand, Norway, in 1927 as a full-rigged ship for training young people for the merchant navy. As the demand for regular training of young seamen decreased in the seventies, she extended the activities to welcome the general public on board. The Sail Training Ship is owned and administrated by a non-profit foundation, and the objective of the ship’s sailing activities is today to offer the general public an experience in traditional life on board a tall ship, as well as maintaining the ship by active use. ‘Sørlandet’ is the oldest full-rigged ship in operation in the world and participated in the first international race for tall ships in 1956.
‘Statsraad Lehmkuhl’ is a three-masted steel barque, built in 1914 in Bremerhaven, Germany as a training ship for the German merchant navy and originally called Grossherzog Friedrich August. She was bought by the Norwegian Shipowners Association in 1923 at the instigation of Kristofer Lehmkuhl after whom the ship was named, in order to further sail training in Norway. A Bergen shipowner bought the ship in 1967 to continue using her for sail training doing so at his own expense between 1968 and 1972 until the oil crisis in 1973. In 1978, she was donated to the Stiftelsen Seilskipet Statsraad Lehmkuhl – The Foundation for the Tall Ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl, which now owns and operates the ship.
Tall Ships’ Races 2008
18 – 21 July
Liverpool