First tall ships depart for Sail Amsterdam 2015

The tall ships participating in Sail Amsterdam 2015 are lined up and setting sail from IJmuiden towards the capital. The first ships started their journey at 10:00 a.m. and are expected to reach Amsterdam around 2:00 p.m. The parade of tall ships will be following the route Sluizen van IJmuiden, Velsen-Zuid, Oosterbroek, Buitenhuizen, Afrikahaven, Westzanerpolder, Hembrug, NDSM-werf and finally Amsterdam. The ships will line up along much of Amsterdam's riverfront during the course of the day. On board the Kapitan Borchardt, a Polish vessel taking part in the event, the mood was upbeat. "It's great! It's very nice out here", said Gosia Herudzinska, a Sail volunteer working on the 97-year-old ship. Her day started early this morning to make sure she got to the departure point with enough time to help liaise between the event administrators and the ship's captain. The long hours required did not dampen her spirit, possibly because she knew what was in store for her this week. The long-time Amsterdam resident remarked that she was looking forward to the event since Sail 2010 wrapped up. Visitors are streaming to the capital for the event. Before 10:00 a.m. Amsterdam Central Station was already jammed with visitors and Amsterdam residents, all trying to get out to mark a place along the route for a good view of the tall ship parade.