Hanse Sail Rostock 2021: Small but mighty: public festival attracts 150,000 visitors

Launched under the motto "Optimistically different", it offered more than 150,000 visitors a varied programme against an impressive backdrop. "It was a fantastic 30th Hanse Sail that had everything to offer: ships, attractions and lots of experiences. I am happy and proud that we were able to organise this Hanse Sail in this way. The positive reactions of the guests confirm this impression", summarised Rostock's Lord Mayor Claus Ruhe Madsen.

Some precautions had to be taken due to the pandemic. For example, access to the large festival area was restricted and the magnificent squadron tour of the traditional sailing ships had to be cancelled. Additional adventure areas from the city harbour to Warnemünde provided more space and safety on the site. With a smaller supporting programme, the traditional ships became the main protagonists of the maritime festival for young and old more than in previous years.

More than 100 museum and sailing ships, some of them of impressive age, lined up along the quay walls from Rostock's city harbour to Warnemünde. Schooners, cutters and cogs invited visitors to look, marvel and sail along. Lovers of motorised seafaring also got their money's worth. The steamboat "Stettin", which was built in 1933, belongs to the "old iron": it moored at the Warnow for the 30th time.

In predominantly good weather with the best sailing wind, more than 11,000 people went on a short trip under large sails. The evening trips were particularly popular. "There was an incredible run on the ships," explains Frank Elsner, Chairman of the Hanse Sail Association, enthusiastically. "The skippers and crews are thrilled - also because the ships themselves took centre stage even more."

As one of the oldest participating ships, the Groninger Seetjalk "De Albertha" is celebrating its 130th birthday this year. The cargo sailing ship used to transport goods on the North Sea and Baltic Sea, but today it takes guests on cruises. "We are usually almost fully booked from April to October, but this year is different," says her captain Dick Kroes. "We've only been sailing commercially again since the end of June. The Hanse Sail is the first major event for us this year where we can give enthusiasts of old ships the opportunity to sail with us. That's great."