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Tall
Ships Race 2009
Plymouth - Rendsburg
Rendsburg - Gdynia
Gdynia - Saint Petersburg - Tallinn
Tallinn - Turku
Turku - Klaipėda
Klaipėda - Rendsburg
Rendsburg - Plymouth
With the 2009 tall ship's race starting in the Baltic sea, it required two passage crews three weeks just to get Moosk to the start line!
Departing Plymouth at the end of June meant that it was exam time
for most Moosketeers so the crew comprised of more experienced
sea-goers looking to benefit from some RYA instruction and log-up a
few miles on the beautiful Cornish Gaff Yawl.
The North sea Crossing to the Dutch port of Den Helder took only
three days in the predominantly South-Westerly wind. A short
overnight stop and a morning shop and sight-see and it was off to
the tax haven of Helgoland, Cuxhaven at the mouth of the river Elbe
then into the Nord-Oste Canal to the historic town of Rendsburg.
Rendsburg
proved to be a magnificent spot for storing-up again and changing
crew. The young crew from Cornwall arrived bright eyed and full of
enthusiasm, keen to learn as much about sailing the 103 year
old Moosk as possible, ready to embark on what would become a real
adventure!
Moosk sailed out from the British Kiel Yacht Club
to become surrounded by many yachts taking part in Kiel racing week.
Moosk's new crew learned the ropes as she tacked between the shores
of Kieler Forde and were overtaken by some of the much larger Square
rigged ships also bound for Gdynia, the sense of excitement was
building!
Moosk sought shelter at the Danish port of Bagenkop, providing
time to stretch legs and admire Moosk from other parts of the
harbour during the magnificent sunset. The following day conditions
improved - onwards towards Ronne, this long overnight
passage provided opportunities to learn about steering a course,
knot tying and chart-work to plot our progress, working towards the
RYA competent crew certificate. Honing these skills combined with
the rigours of keeping watch and preparing food at sea were
moulding the crew into a tight-knit team.
On completing the 30 hour trip the crew rewarded themselves with a
trip to the beach, a barbecue game of volleyball and a refreshing
dip in the Baltic ahhh!
Denmark was left behind and Poland beckoned, spending a rewarding
afternoon on the beach at the tourist destination Łeba , and onward
to the amazing reception at Gdynia where the Festivities began.
Moosk was well represented at the sports competition with crew
taking part in every event we didn't have the crew numbers required
to win a prize, but the effortometer was bubbling over! Our crew
attended parties and social events on other boats, what a trip!
Race 1 started from Gdynia, after the traditional parade of sail
Moosk got into racing mode. all weather conditions were experienced
during the race ranging from flat calm to a Force 8. Life on-board
was exhilarating with many sail changes, preparing food and baking
bread on-board.
It was approaching the end of the allotted time and with many other
boats finished that Moosk and crew really proved their worth, the
wind increased and a concerted effort from the crew was required to
shorten sail and with 2 reefs in the mainsail and the small jib up
she galloped along on a broad reach for the last 24 hours to make
finish line in a time of: 4 days, 10 hours and 48 minutes; 5th place
in class 2 well done Moosk!
On
arriving in Saint Petersburg the scene was breathtaking, spectacular
fireworks and great parties, what better way to see the most
beautiful of Russian cities than as part of an International Youth
Festival involving some of the most beautiful historic Tall Ships,
especially on-board Moosk as she has so much character being one of
the oldest and smallest sail training vessels in the whole Tall
Ships fleet.
Moosk received a very warm goodbye cheer from the Russian volunteer
liaison officers as the boats filed out of port in Saint Petersburg
in front of huge crowds of well-wishers, "go.....Moosk!"
The Cruise in Company allowed the Tall Ships to make their way at
leisure between Saint Petersburg and Turku in Finland; giving the
vessels a chance to stop in beautiful harbours along the way, and
enjoy a healthy break from the challenge of racing. Moosk stopped in
Tallinn to change crews and visited some beautiful harbours on small
islands in the Finnish Archipelago were she and her crew were made
most welcome.
The parade of sail saw Moosk weave through the Archipelago once
again, spending the night at anchor in the company of a Swedish
vessel Constantia, another impromptu social occasion. Race 2 began
in light winds that continued for most of the race. Attention to
tactical decisions and making use of lighter sails when possible
kept Moosk close to her rivals and created a competitive buzz
on-board. The predominantly upwind course leaving the island of
Gotland to port and back eastwards to the finish at Klaipėda proved
difficult to complete in the allotted time and so Moosk finished at
sea at the southern end of Gotland and was placed a respectable 6th
in class. Klaipėda was another great host port, the celebrations
organised by the town council and Sail Training International
creating a fabulous festival atmosphere.
Two
more crews were again required for the voyage back to Plymouth, the
first crew stopping at: Christianso a picturesque little group of
islands only accessible in fine weather, Allinge on the island of
Bornholm, a small Danish fishing port - Klintholm, Heiligenhafen
where the crew enjoyed some live music at a seafood festival and
Rendsburg.
On leaving the Kiel canal Moosketeers experienced more testing
conditions in the north sea, stopping at Den Helder to and
Eastbourne on the return trip to Plymouth sound and Cremyll.
Overall the 2009 Tall Ships Baltic Sea event was a huge success
giving many young people the opportunity to test themselves in a new
environment, enjoy the experience of overseas travel, share all of
this with others and make new friends!
