Sail with the Tall ships in the summer of 2026!
Are you from Rogaland and between 15 and 25 years old? Then you can apply to sail on the visiting ships.
Through the trainee sailor programme, The Tall Ships Races 2026 Stavanger will give young people from the Stavanger region and Rogaland the opportunity to sail onboard the sailing ships participating in The Tall Ships Races in the North Sea in the summer of 2026.
More information about Stavanger's trainee sailor programme will be posted as soon as the programme is in place at the turn of the year 2025/2026.
What is life like onboard a ship?
Onboard, you participate in daily tasks, such as: setting the sails, standing lookout, steering the ship, acting as fire watch, scrubbing the decks and contributing to ensure that your ship reaches the finish line as quickly as possible during the regatta.
You don't need to have sailed before: The professional crews on board will show you what to do and help to create a great sailing experience in an international environment.
How do I register?
We will open registration through the website for The Tall Ships Races as soon as the trainee sailor programme for The Tall Ships Races in 2026 is in place. We will announce that registration is open through several different communication channels.
Registration is open to young people aged 15-25 from Rogaland – and you do not need to have previous sailing experience.
How much does it cost to be a sail trainee?
A sail trainee pays a deductible to participate. The rest of the cost for travel to/from the foreign host port, ship accommodation, all meals during the voyage and two days ashore before returning home is covered by The Tall Ships Races 2026 and our supporters. The price of the deductible will be included in the information we post when registration opens.
How old do I have to be to be a sail trainee?
The Tall Ships Races are sailing regattas for young people aged between 15-25. You must be 15 years old before you board a ship to participate in the race, and cannot be 26 years old before you go ashore again to participate in Stavanger's trainee sailor programme.
You can still sail with the ships if you are over 25 years old, however, you need to register directly with the desired ship via the ships' own website or via the organisation Windseeker, which collaborates with the ships and host ports.
How can we help give young people the opportunity to become sail trainees?
The trainee sailor programme will give as many young people as possible, from Stavanger and the Rogaland region, the opportunity to sail with the sailing ships participating in The Tall Ships Races in the summer of 2026.
A sail trainee position is an opportunity for a young person to learn about themselves in collaboration with others - and have a fantastic journey at sea. In 2018, the Stavanger region sent a total of 247 young sailors – a host port record that we want to break in 2026!
You can contribute financially to the trainee sailor programme. All financial contributions go entirely to giving as many young people as possible the opportunity to sail and have the experience of a lifetime.
Please contact us if you would like to contribute. More information about contributions to Stavanger's trainee sailor programme for 2026 can be found here: (link to trainee sailor programme 2026.docx)
The following organisations are contributing to the trainee sailor programme in 2026:
- Inge Steenslands Foundation
- Lyse AS
- Rogaland County Council