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Join a sailing adventure on a Tall Ship and set course for new horizons!

Harlingen (NL) - Antwerp (BE)

05 July - 13 July 2026

8 days, Thalassa

From € 1096,-

Book this journey

Tall Ships Races Sail Training

15-25: € 1096,-
26-28 (at request): € 1280,-

Book this journey

Thalassa:
Harlingen (NL) - Antwerp (BE)

05 July - 13 July 2026

The Tall Ships Races 2026: Cruise in Company. Explore the North Sea coastline aboard Thalassa from Harlingen in the Netherlands to the historic port of Antwerp, Belgium. Your adventure will begin with a spectacular Parade of Sail, waving goodbye to onlookers before taking course for the open sea. As part of the trainee crew, you’ll take on watch duties, hoist sails, steer, and navigate, sailing Thalassa day and night towards your next destination. Along the way, you might anchor for a refreshing swim or meet another ship in a smaller port: this leg of the Tall Ships Races allows for some flexibility and focusing on having a good time! Finally, you will reach Antwerp, but that’s not the end of your adventure! Spend the last two days in port, celebrating the successful ending of your voyage and meeting the crews of other vessels during the Crew Parade, Crew Party, and other fun activities.
Open to all Windseekers aged 15-25; ages 26-28 at request.
This journey will be open for bookings from the 1st of October 2025.

The Tall Ships Races 2026

Each year, a diverse fleet of tall ships, small ships, and yachts come together to champion Sail Training and build international friendships among young people. To ensure youth participation, at least half of the crew must be between 15 and 25 years old. The vessels take part in thrilling races and Cruise in Company legs, sailing between host ports and immersing themselves in lively harbour festivals along the way.

Every journey begins with a joyful sail-out in a stunning Parade of Sail, leading into several days at sea before concluding with two exciting days in the destination port. Here, trainees take part in a variety of events, from the Crew Parade and award ceremonies to the Crew Party, games, and competitions. Are you ready to set sail on this unforgettable adventure?

Ports

Harlingen is a trade and fishing port in Friesland, the Netherlands. The town itself is over a thousand years old, and you’ll find several historic streets in the old city centre. Its small size makes it easy to explore the town on foot. In 2022 Harlingen was a port of call for the Tall Ships Races. The town operates ferry lines to the Frisian Islands, a unique nature reserve with populations of seals, birds, and other wildlife. With its ‘gezellige’ pubs the town is a great place for a stopover.

Antwerp is a city in Belgium, on the River Scheldt, which is linked to the North Sea by the Westerschelde estuary. Its long maritime traditions are clear in the fact that the Port of Antwerp is one of the largest in the world. Come by train and you will be greeted by the monumental Antwerpen-Centraal station. Art lovers cannot miss the Rubens House and Museum aan de Stroom, while the Chocolate Nation, the largest Belgian Chocolate museum in the world, should appeal to most visitors!

  • Harlingen (NL)

  • Antwerp (BE)

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Key points

  • Dates: 5 July 2026 - 13 July 2026
  • Embarkation: 17:00 / Disembarkation: 10:00
  • For Windseekers 15-25 years, age 26-28 at request
  • No sailing experience required!
  • Official language on board: English
  • Price includes: accommodation and meals, excludes drinks at the bar
  • Price excludes transportation costs to-and from the ports. Our travel counsellor can advise you and book your transfers
  • Windseekers need to have a health insurance and a travel insurance

  • "It was an absolute joy to steer for hours when the wind was blowing, and even when it was completely dead. I loved to see the sea, I loved the silence of the ocean."

    Barnabas (22), Hungary

You sail on the Thalassa

Shipping type: Barquentine
Homeport: Harlingen (NL)
Date built: 1980
Trainees: 30
Length: 47m
Height of mast: 35m
Sail: 800m2

Sail in style. The Thalassa is more than capable to sail every imaginable sea and ocean. A 3-masted barquentine, she carries square sails on the foremast, while the main and mizzen masts are both gaff-rigged. Thanks to that she can …

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Windseeker logs

  • Vega Gamleby Trainees and Crew before Esbjerg Crew Parade 2018

    “We all live in the Vega Gamleby, Vega Gamleby, Vega Gamleby”

    Vega Gamleby

    Sunderland-Esbjerg

    – by Trainees

    Date – 14/07/18 Watch / Trainees – 8-12 – Chris Dow and Cecilie Olsen We woke up at 8 am British time, then at 8:15 am we gathered in the galley as breakfast was served. Shortly after breakfast, during a minor briefing, we …

    Read log

  • Making Waves – Vega Gamleby Trainee Logbook

    Vega Gamleby, 15/07 to 04/08 2019

    Sweden

    – by Trainees

           

    Read log

Photos

  • Dolphins
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OTHER JOURNEYS YOU MIGHT LIKE

STO Garant

This Journey is covered by the STO Garant guarantee. You can find the conditions for this guarantee scheme on STO Garant’s website (www.sto-garant.nl/en/downloads).

This process is automatic and you do not need to do anything else. After receiving your booking, Windseeker will send you detailed information on how and when to pay for your journey – together with all the other important details.

 

What does it mean?

In short: you do not pay the booking amount to Windseeker but instead into an escrow account. This trust account holds your payment in reserve until your journey’s end. The booking amount is then released to Windseeker on the day after your trip ends. If Windseeker or the Ship should become financially insolvent before the end of your trip, STO Garant will implement the guarantee. The Guarantee Scheme details how you can make a claim under the guarantee in such cases. You can read more about this here.