The Tall Ships Challenge® is an annual event organized by Tall Ships America alternating between the Great Lakes, the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts of North America.
The event draws hundreds of thousands of people to witness tall ships from the age of sail and allows participants to interact with the crews of different vessels in friendly rivalries as they race from port to port.
The series began in 2001 on the Great Lakes and saw vessels from six countries and visited seven US and Canadian ports. Since its launch, the series has visited dozens of North American cities, bringing millions of spectators down to the waterfront to experience the tall ships and creating a cumulative economic impact of hundreds of millions of dollars for host communities. It has continued to grow every year and is an eagerly anticipated event in the seaside communities that host the vessels and beyond.
Each year, the challenge is designated a Marine Event of National Significance by the US Coast Guard.
If you are interested in being an Official Host Port for our next Race Series, please complete the RFP form.
Official 2025 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Series Partner
TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Race Series Official Host Ports
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June 20 – 22 |
June 28 – 29 |
July 10 – 13 |
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August 7 – 10 |
August 15 – 17 |
August 21 – 24 |
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Official OutPort Program
In addition to our TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Official Host Ports listed above, there are a number of smaller festivals that the tall ships will visit throughout the Great Lakes. The OutPort Program allows smaller ports to host the tall ships while providing additional revenue streams for the ships and sail training opportunities for the maritime community. This is not a full fleet visit (usually one to three ships) and the ships will vary by host port.
