City Sailing · video

What this video covers

The 1992 Grand Regatta Columbus tall ships race covered the final leg from Boston, Massachusetts, to Liverpool — 3,000 miles across the North Atlantic — as part of the 500th anniversary of Columbus's first Atlantic crossing.7:03 Seventy-six vessels competed, ranging from square-rigged windjammers with 170-foot masts to small yachts.2:07 The BBC documentary follows three crews: the British schooner Soren Larsen, crewed by 12 Ocean Youth Club members on their first Atlantic crossing; the Greater Manchester Challenge, a yacht skippered by 24-year-old Paul Bew with inexperienced young sailors; and the Russian training ship Krusenstern, a 300-foot square rigger carrying Baltic State Fishing Fleet Academy cadets.7:55 Two weeks out of Boston, a Force 9 gale snapped the Greater Manchester Challenge's gaff spar; the Soren Larsen's carpenter improvised a replacement from an old plank and ferried it across.15:51 Both boats finished first in their respective classes.21:35 The Soren Larsen also won its class overall.19:42 A noon-to-noon run of 211 miles and a 90-mile nine-hour sprint stood as speed records for the Greater Manchester Challenge crew.22:47 Margaret Holt, 71, sailing aboard the Soren Larsen after nearly a year at sea, completed a lifelong ambition rooted in her father's Cape Horn stories.20:47

More from City Sailing

RS Tera Eastern Championships: What Went Wrong at the Start?Sep 2026Isle of Dogs Sea Cadets return to city race training Sept 26Sep 2026Epic Urban Sailing with the Isle of Dogs Sea CadetsSep 2026Iconic Paddle Steamer Waverley Visits Scottish Loch and GlenAug 2026

From City Sailing — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analyzed video.

The Sailing Directory Newsletter

One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.