Tacoma Selected 2004 Tall Ships® Conference Site

The American Sail Training Association (ASTA) has selected Tacoma as the site of its 2004 Conference on Sail Training and Tall Ships. More than 300 participants from the United States, Canada, and other foreign nations are expected to attend the three day meeting, scheduled for November 3 – 5, 2004.

The conference in Tacoma will feature presentations on experiential learning methods, organizational development, ship operations and safety, fundraising, marketing and related topics. A post-conference Education Under Sail Forum will be offered on Nov. 6.  

“Tacoma was selected as our 2004 conference location because of its rich maritime and sailing ship heritage and its role as one of the host ports for our 2005 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Series on the Pacific Coast,” said Peter A. Mello, ASTA executive director.  

In addition to the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® fleet's visit to Tacoma June 30 – July 5 in 2005, other host ports selected for the Pacific Coast series are Victoria, Anacortes, Port Alberni, and Los Angeles; additional ports will be announced in the coming months. In addition to shoreside maritime port festivals, the 2005 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Series includes ocean races along the Pacific Coast to Los Angeles with opportunities for the general public to sail on board some of the world's most spectacular ships.

Founded in Newport, RI in 1973 by Captain Barclay Warburton III, the American Sail Training Association is a youth education, leadership development and maritime heritage preservation nonprofit. ASTA is an international institution with more than 250 tall ships hailing from over 20 countries and sailing all of the world's major bodies of water. ASTA publishes the 400 page book SAIL TALL SHIPS! A Directory to Sail Training and Adventure at Sea each year and it's Tall Ships® Gallery in Newport, RI exhibits the work of renowned and emerging photographers and artists that sail the globe.

For more information about ASTA and the 2004 conference contact the national office in Newport, Rhode Island at
(401) 846-1775 or asta@sailtraining,org