An open evening was held at Belfast City Hall last night (20 October) for volunteers who are hoping to set sail on the opportunity of a lifetime aboard the Tall Ships next July.

80 lucky people from Belfast and the surrounding area will be given the unique opportunity to become trainee crew members as part of the Tall Ships Races 2015, one of the biggest events to come to our city.  Those selected will play a pivotal role on board the ship on the first leg of the race as it sails on its 11 day voyage from Belfast to Ålesund, Norway.

Over 300 people have registered their interest for a place on the programme, and over 100 of those attended last night’s information session to find out more about the next stage of the process and take part in a Q&A panel with event organisers.

Speaking about the trainee programme, Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Nichola Mallon said: “What a wonderful opportunity this is for people from our city to take part in one of the biggest and most exciting events to come to Belfast.

“The chance to sail on board one of the Tall Ships really is the opportunity of a lifetime.  I’d encourage anyone who is looking for a new challenge and wants to meet new people, explore new places and learn new skills, to get involved and apply today.”

The Tall Ships Races 2015 will be the third time that Belfast has hosted the races, having also welcomed the ships in 1991 and 2009.

Dr Gerard O’Hare, Chair of Belfast Tall Ships 2015 Ltd, which has been set up to manage the event, said: “It’s fantastic to see so many people have registered their interest already for what promises to be a memorable, challenging and unrivalled experience.

“The Tall Ships Races is expected to attract 500,000 people, with another 500,000 seeing the arrival and departure of the vessels along the Northern Ireland and Irish coasts and the trainee crew programme provides another fantastic outlet for the people of Belfast and Northern Ireland to get involved.”

There are only 80 places available on the scheme, but opportunities are also available to self fund the trip for those who are not selected.

Lidl Northern Ireland, host port sponsors of the Belfast Titanic Maritime Festival, which will officially welcome the ships to Belfast, will subsidise eight lucky staff members to take part.

Glen Cinnamon, Regional Director for Lidl Northern Ireland said: “As headline sponsors of this event, it’s really important for us that the communities and people of Northern Ireland are able to get involved and enjoy all aspects of the festival.  A range of free, family-fun activities will take place throughout the four days the ships are docked, but this scheme provides another level of involvement and is an opportunity people should be grasping with both hands.”

Thelma Thompson from Ocean Youth Trust Ireland said: “The huge interest we’ve received in Northern Ireland is not only testament to what a fantastic opportunity this is for our young people, but also shows the enthusiasm from our communities to be part of what will be such a massive event for Belfast.”

No previous sailing experience is necessary as full training is provided but applicants must be available for a total of two weeks which will include three separate training sessions in November, January and spring of next year.

The closing date for applications to become a trainee crew member is Friday 7 November with the selection process taking place from 24–28 November.   If you’d like to apply to be a crew member on board the Tall Ships visit www.oyti.org/belfasttallships2015