SAIL Amsterdam

look closely at the top mast- there are actually guys standing up there!!

On Friday afternoon - we took the train (along with what seemed like everyone else in Holland!) to Amsterdam to see the ships taking part in the SAIL Amsterdam 2010.

There were boats cruising around in the harbor - people enjoying a warm, sunny afternoon. In fact one boat had a guy playing Elton John songs on the piano while the other people on his boat sang... (yep - I bet you have that song "Piano Man" in your head now too!)

I googled SAIL Amsterdam and this is some of the background information that I found:

The first SAIL Amsterdam took place in 1975 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of Amsterdam. During these preparations, it was proposed to organize a nautical event in Amsterdam harbour, which would be centered on the harbor and the city of Amsterdam. For the ‘Sail Amsterdam 700’ event, sailing ships from all over the world were invited and the event was a huge success. Following the big success of SAIL Amsterdam 700 - it was decided that the sailing events would take place every 5 years.

During SAIL Amsterdam 2010, approximately 20 Tall Ships as well as 500 historic sailing boats and motorboats are expected in the harbor. As in previous SAIL events, this event attracts Tall Ships from around the world. In addition to a number of Dutch Tall Ships - ships from Norway, Romania, Russia and Ukraine will be on display.