With the sail torn, the ship had to be rescued in port: Strong winds gave the regatta a rough ride

Several crews have been severely affected by seasickness, and a Polish ship is adrift with engine problems.

Skagen rescue station succeeded after a targeted effort in bringing the Norwegian ship Loyal safely into port. (Photo: © Knud Andersen, Skagen Rescue Station) 41 minutes ago

Right now the international regatta The Tall Ships Races is underway, where ships from over 30 nations are racing.

From Thursday, about 45 sailing ships will dock in Aalborg – but the strong winds have given many of them a rough time.

Last night, a group of Norwegians on the ship Loyal had to be rescued ashore after the wind completely tore the sails on their ship to shreds.

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> There isn’t a single person who hasn’t thrown up at least ten times, so it’s been

> a tough trip for them.

> Søren Thorst, event manager in Aalborg Municipality

Skagen Rescue Station responded with two boats that were able to tow the ship through the heavy waves.

Although the strong winds had a firm grip on the remnants of the sail and the rigging on the masts, after a targeted effort they managed to get the ship safely into port in Skagen, according to the rescue station.

* Monday evening at 21:45, Skagen Rescue Station had to deploy both of their boats to assist the Norwegian ship. (Photo: © Knud Andersen, Skagen Rescue Station)

* The sails were completely torn to pieces by the strong wind on the Norwegian ship Loyal. (Photo: © Knud Andersen, Skagen Rescue Station)

* Even though both boats from the rescue station had hold of the sailing ship, they struggled quite a bit with the heavy wind. (Photo: © Knud Andersen, Skagen Rescue Station)

1 / 3 Monday evening at 21:45, Skagen Rescue Station had to deploy both of their boats to assist the Norwegian ship. (Photo: © Knud Andersen, Skagen Rescue Station) 1 / 3 The sails were completely torn to pieces by the strong wind on the Norwegian ship Loyal. (Photo: © Knud Andersen, Skagen Rescue Station) 2 / 3 Even though both boats from the rescue station had hold of the sailing ship, they struggled quite a bit with the heavy wind. (Photo: © Knud Andersen, Skagen Rescue Station) 3 / 3

The crew is doing fine, says Søren Thorst, event manager in Aalborg Municipality:

- They are getting the sails that were damaged under control, so they will arrive in Aalborg today or tomorrow, he says.

But in addition, several ships have been affected by the harsh weather.

- We have a trainee on board the Dutch ship Wylde Swan, and there isn’t a single person who hasn’t thrown up at least ten times, so it’s been a tough trip for them, says Søren Thorst.

The Tall Ships Races is an international regatta that takes place between different ports around the world each year. The race already passed through Aarhus a month ago.

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Polish crew member knocked over by a wave

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The Polish ship Fryderyk Chopin has also been affected by the harsh weather.

Here, nearly half the crew has been affected by seasickness due to the heavy waves.

One of those who really felt the waves is crew member Alex Szymankiewicz, who was knocked over by a wave and is now hobbling around on crutches.

- I had a little accident with a wave and hit my foot, but I’m fine. We have a very good captain, so everything was safe, and accidents are something that can always happen.

A wave washed over the deck of the ship Fryderyk Chopin and knocked Alex Szymankiewicz over. She is keeping her spirits up, though. (Photo: © Christine Nørgaard - DR Nyheder)

Although she says many became seasick, threw up, and had headaches, it is still exciting to take on the challenge.

- It’s difficult to sail in, but also exciting. The wind was very strong and the water was high on the deck. The waves were big, and everyone got wet, but we fought.

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'We’ve never experienced this before'

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Meanwhile, several other ships are experiencing engine problems.

A Polish ship is lying off Læsø with engine and steering problems.

- We need to get them to Aalborg or Frederikshavn to be repaired, says event manager Søren Thorst.

The Aalborg-based ship Loa has been hit so hard that they have withdrawn from the regatta out of concern for the crew’s safety.

Søren Thorst has been involved in organizing the regatta for several years, and this year’s situation is very unusual, he says.

- We’ve never experienced this before. We were the starting port a few years ago, when there was a bit of headwind and the ships arrived a little later, but we’ve never experienced this before. We also have a ship at Hals Barre with engine problems, he says.

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