Funchal 500 Regatta reaches Madeira

The Funchal 500 Tall Ships' Regatta, organised by Sail Training International (STI), is coming to its end, three days earlier than expected.

Having been scheduled to arrive at Funchal, the capital of Madeira, on October 2nd, good winds have sped up the fleet's progress in the second race (from Ílhavo/Port of Aveiro to Funchal) and so most of the tall ships and vessels have meanwhile crossed the finishing line near the island.

The regatta was started on the 13th off the English port of Falmouth (see my entry of September 13th) and the first race was set from the south-west coast of England to Ílhavo and the Port of Aveiro in northern Portugal, where the fleet arrived before and on the 20th.

After the usual days of rest, recreation and celebrations in port, they left for the second race to Funchal. But a lack of wind delayed the start several times and the fleet had to motor towards their destination for a while, until eventually a good breeze came up and made it a true sailing event again. (see my entry of September 25th)

As I write this, eight vessels are already in the port of Funchal. They are the class A vessels Kaliakra (Bulgaria), Pogoria (Poland) and Shabab Oman (Oman), accompanied by five Class B vessels.

Four other of the large class A vessels - Creoula (Portugal), Cuauhtemoc (Mexico), Mir and Sedov (both Russia) - have finished the race, but not yet entered the port. They stayed outside at anchor overnight and will be arriving in Funchal this morning in half-hourly intervals between 0800 and 1000 hrs. Other vessels are expected in port today as well, but their arrival times have not been specified yet.

Yesterday evening the Gedania (Poland) and Astrid (Netherlands) had not yet crossed the finishing line, but were well under way towards Madeira.

In the port and city of Funchal the preparations for the shore celebrations are in full swing. The city's organising team has been working hard to be ready for the earlier than expected arrival of the fleet, and they have already arranged an island tour for the crews of the Class B vessels.

Madeira is celebrating this year the 500th anniversary of Funchal's elevation to city status by King Manuel I of Portugal in 1508. It was founded in 1421 as an initially small settlement by the explorer and sea captain João Gonçalves Zarco.

The Madeira archipelago - some 650 km west of the North African coast and some 955 km south-west of Portugal's mainland - is considered to be the first new discovery of the Portuguese main exploratory period, initiated by Prince Henry the Navigator (right). It was discovered - almost by accident after a heavy storm - by Portuguese sailors under the command of João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira between 1418 and 1420.

Funchal's celebrations have been going on already throughout the whole year, but the Funchal 500 Tall Ships' Regatta is certainly the high point of the festivities. The arrival of the fleet will start the Festival do Mar 2008, and even though I am not there now myself, I know that the tall ships' crews will enjoy the experience, participate in their usual great style and bring with them the true spirit of the sea, which is still the same today as it has been in the ships and vessels Prince Henry sent out to explore the world in the early 15th century.

The Emerald Islander

Funchal 500 Regatta started in Falmouth

Today the Funchal 500 Tall Ships' Regatta was started in the English port of Falmouth. The anticipation and excitement on the quayside was tangible as the ships and vessels prepared to leave the port. It seemed like the whole of the South West of England had turned out to wave goodbye to the fleet as they made their way out into the bay. The Sun shone on thousands of boats of all shapes and sizes, as they followed the precession of tall ships and sail training boats on the Parade of Sail, the traditional way of thanking the local community for their support and friendship during the days in port.

The wind was light and the nine tall ships were able to set some sails, putting on a spectacular display for the thousands of spectators on shore. The Russian full ship Mir (on the photo left, with blue stripe on her hull, behind small boats) led the parade, and the three-masted barque Cuauhtémoc (on the photo right, in the foreground), sail training ship of the Mexican Navy, brought up the rear.
As the fleet moved towards the start line of the race, the accompanying boats dropped away and the ships took up their positions in a north-westerly wind with a speed of 4-7 knots.

The barquentine Shabab Oman of the Royal Omani Navy, a regular participant in many tall ship races and events, was first across the line, but sadly seven seconds prematurely, which resulted in a penalty of a 360 degree turn. This means that officially the first three across the line were the beautiful Dutch brig Astrid, the three-masted German barque Alexander von Humboldt (which always stands out optically as the only tall ship with green sails) and the Cuauhtémoc.

Light wind and therefore slow progress meant that the fleet remained visible on the horizon of Falmouth Bay for the remainder of the evening. The present course is south-west, later to be changed to due south, as the first race goes from Falmouth to Ilhavo in Portugal. After four days of rest and recreation in port there, the second race will start on the 23rd and go to Funchal, the capital of the island of Madeira.

The Funchal 500 Tall Ships' Regatta, organised by Sail Training International (STI), and the Festival do Mar 2008 are the centrepieces of the year-long celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of the elevation of Funchal (founded 1421) to city status by King Manuel I of Portugal in 1508.
The impressive fleet of Tall Ships and sail training vessels (for details see the list below) had gathered in Falmouth since Wednesday and is expected to reach Funchal on October 2nd.

The Emerald Islander


The ships and vessels participating in the Funchal 500 Tall Ships' Regatta are: Alexander von Humboldt (Germany), Astrid (Netherlands), Capitan Miranda (Uruguay), Challenger 1 and Challenger 4 (UK), Creoula (Portugal), Cuauhtémoc (Mexico), Endeavour (UK), Far Barcelona (Spain), Gedania (Poland), Juan de Langara (Spain), Kaliakra (Bulgaria), Mir (Russia), Pelican (UK), Pogoria (Poland), Sedov (Russia), Shabab Oman (Oman), Spaniel (Latvia), Steppe (Belgium), Tecla (Netherlands) and Viva (Latvia).

For an update on the regatta see my entry from September 25th