A large number of sailing boats had already arrived at Tallinn's Old Harbor (Vanasadam) on Thursday, the first day of the Tall Ships Races. Despite the rainy weather, there were plenty of people in attendance.

"The Tall Ships Races aim to build international friendships, as well as highlight mutual understanding, and are a great way for young people to spend a day at sea. Along with the teamwork there is also a bit of seasickness and fatigue," said race coordinator Magda Makowska.

The Tall Ships Races is a much bigger and more open event than the Tallinn Maritime Days, with plenty of opportunities for people to get involved in the different activities.

"If you compare this to the usual Tallinn Maritime Days, this one has several times the number of ships – ten times the number of ships you could say. And here, I think the main attraction is that you can get on board the ships," said fleet manager Madis Rallmann.

"The concerts are really nice and there are a lot of them, so there are concerts for those who want to visit the ships as well as for those who just want to listen to music," Rallmann added.

One of the ships has traveled to Estonia all the way from Ecuador especially for the occasion. As the ship's captain Bernado explained, they have not come empty-handed.

"This ship was designated as Ecuador's cocoa and chocolate ambassador on  April 18 this year. So we are now bringing a lot of chocolate to the people of Tallinn," he said.

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