I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

"Sea Fever"
By John Masefield (1878-1967).
(English Poet Laureate, 1930-1967)

   Most Americans had never heard the term "tall ships" until they gathered in New York harbor to celebrate America's Bicentennial in July 1976. The fabulous "Parade of Ships" was broadcast throughout the world.
   Most of the ships had been around for a long time, but this was the first time that they had been so broadly publicized. President John F. Kennedy had served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and knew the ships were around. In 1961, he established Operation Sail Inc, to promote good will and cooperation between countries while providing sail training and celebrating maritime history.
The inaugural event was Operation sail 1964. "Opsail" was a tie-in with the 1964 New York World's Fair. It's success led to the 1976 Parade of Ships. There have since been large events to celebrate the Statute of Liberty and the coming of the milleniumum
   Tall ships organizations have been created that sponsor races and other events. In 1976, most of the tall ships were getting along in years. Since then a great many new ones have been built. Over 1,100 are registered.

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http://www.tallshipstock.com/index.html

http://sailing-ships.oktett.net/register-alphabetic.html

The phrase tall ship was coined to describe the participating ships. Participating vessels are manned by a largely cadet or trainee crew who are partaking in sail training, 50 percent of which must be aged between 15 and 25 and do not need any previous experience. Thus, tall ship does not describe a specific type of sailing vessel, but rather a monohull sailing vessel of at least 9.4 metres that is conducting sail training and education under sail voyages. Participating ships range from yachts to the large square-rigged sail training ships run by charities, schools and navies of many countries.

for more ships see Wikipedia tall ships race

When President John F. Kennedy founded Operation Sail in 1961, he probably never dreamed what he had set in motion. OpSail, as it is more commonly referred to, is America’s representative to the international tall ship community. Past OpSail events have been held to celebrate the World’s Fair in 1964, America’s Bicentennial in 1976, Statue of Liberty Centennial in 1986 and the Columbus Quincentennial in 1992. This year’s celebration welcomed the new millennium.

Operation Sail is an international effort to promote goodwill and to generate awareness of ships and shipping. It is a dream come true for sailing enthusiasts, and a once in a lifetime opportunity for anyone who is stirred by the sight of a square rigger under full sail.

Many nations maintain sailing ships in this machine age because they believe there is no better way to build character in young men than sail training. It encourages initiative, steadfastness, leadership and personal courage .... the records of the brotherhood of the sea sparkle with innumerable examples of the value of such training. The prestige of having served aboard a windjammer is no small matter.

TALL SHIPS' RACE CLASSES

A All square-rigged vessels and all other vessels over 40m length overall (LOA) B Traditional-rigged vessels with an LOA of less than 40m and with a waterline length (LWL) of at least 9.14m. C Modern-rigged vessels with a LOA of less than 40m and with a LWL of least 9.14m, not carrying spinnaker-like sails. D Modern-rigged vessels with a LOA of less than 40m and with a LWL of at least 9.14m, carrying spinnaker-like sails.

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