A large number of people gathered two days ago at viewpoints along the main Dutch canal to watch a fleet of hundreds of historic sailing ships enter Amsterdam at the start of a five-day festival that celebrates the maritime history of that city.
Ships from all over the world, many decorated with flags and with crews on tall masts, left the coastal town of IJmuiden on the North Sea to begin the hours-long sail through the North Sea Canal and Amsterdam’s waterways for SAIL 2025, the first edition of the festival in the last ten years.
Each ship was greeted with two cannon shots and its national anthem as it entered the port.
Hundreds of small boats and vessels with spectators filled the waterways to sail alongside the sailing ships.
That event, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors, is held every five years, except in 2020 when it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The parade will culminate tonight with fireworks. The ships in Amsterdam, many of which are open to visitors, will remain over the weekend.
It was first held in 1975 in honor of the 700th anniversary of Amsterdam, and this year marks the 750th anniversary of the city’s existence.
