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Ships set sail for Amsterdam

August 19, 2015

Every five years Amsterdam welcomes sailors and ship enthusiasts to enjoy the parade of historic tall ships as part of Sail Amsterdam. The spectacle takes place in IJ bay, in the Dutch capital.

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Niederlande Segelschiffe in Amsterdam
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O. Kraak

From Wednesday, August 19, through to Sunday, August 23, the ninth Sail Amsterdam event will be held in Amsterdam. The popular opening parade runs for 12 kilometers and will consist of 50 tall sailing ships. Many of the vessels will have sailed there directly from Bremerhaven in Germany where another tall ships event ended last Sunday.

In total, more than 1,000 vessels are expected to participate in the sailing extravaganza in IJ bay. Organizers expect up to two million visitors to attend the free event. According to them, Sail Amsterdam is the largest public event in the Netherlands - and the largest event of its kind in the world.

This year the area for the parade has been expanded, and divided into five colored 'oceans.' In the central 'orange ocean' spectators will be able to visit the ships, and the waterfront will host a full cultural program. Each evening over the course of the event will culminate in a fireworks display.

ot/ak/jt (dpa, sail.nl)