Long lines at tall ships on second day of SAIL Amsterdam
SAIL Amsterdam visitors were given the chance to board several tall ships and other sailing vessels on Thursday, and the option has proven to be as popular as in previous editions of the event. The quays along the waterways filled up with thousands of people, and there were long lines at several ships, particularly along Veemkade.
The day started with a historic tall ship procession in which crews of about 100 vessels took part in a parade. Later, there were long lines of people at the Shabab Oman II, the three-masted NRP Sagres from Portugal, the Polish ship Dar Mlodziezy, the Nao Victoria from Spain, and the four-masted B.A.P. Unión from Peru.
The naval frigates were also extremely interesting to visitors, with lines of up to 30 minutes to board the Dutch Navy's HNLMS Karel Doorman, a 200-meter long ship docked near Java-eiland. Lines developed with security measures requiring people to leave their bags behind before boarding.
More barriers were also placed near the Navy's HNLMS Evertsen, an air defense and command frigate. Some people were waiting there for nearly two hours, visitors told ANP. The long wait started when the gangways were repositioned.
The second day of the massive nautical event kicked off with a parade of approximately 100 historic ships. There was also the Pieremachocheltocht, a procession of handmade vessels sailing through Amsterdam’s canals.
Thursday's schedule holds all sorts of activities, including an interactive tour about the future of shipping, performances on various stages, and another fireworks show at the A'dam Toren. The office tower is located directly across the IJ River from Amsterdam's Central Station.
SAIL Amsterdam expects 2.4 million visitors during the five-day-long event. Some 2,000 volunteers and 1,000 students are helping at the event, working as anything from sailors to traffic controllers.
