Tall Ships of the Åland Islands

Located at the entrance of the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic sea, the people
living on the Åland Islands have for centuries been sea faring. Their
livelihood depended on their ship-building skills. Throughout their history,
Ålanders constructed various boats of different sizes in order to trade and
to sell farm goods and timber to neighboring countries as well as
throughout the world. Their well-developed skills in boatbuilding soared as
they designed and built the beautiful two-masted and four-masted “tall”
sailing ships from the 1850’s until the late 1920’s. Knowledge of their
exceptional skills has not been well known beyond those interested in the
history of boat building in Scandinavia.

What is known is that an estimated 300 tall sailing ships were built there.
Historical records of the actual building and launching of these tall ships are
limited. The best sources of this history can be found at the Ålands
Maritime Museum (Ålands Sjörfartsmuseum), located in Mariehamn and
online (https://sjofartsmuseum.ax/ ). To celebrate their history and deep
admiration for their legion of ship builders and sailors, the Åland Islands will
welcome the Tall Ships fleet race as it returns to the Baltic Sea next
summer. The ships will dock in Mariehamn from July 22-25, 2021, as they
celebrate the 65th season of the Tall Ships Regatta.