Tall ships are arriving in Bermuda after overcoming strong winds and no wind.

The ships were becalmed as they headed for Bermuda from the Canary Islands and then had to battle the same weather that delayed the opening day of the America’s Cup.

But they are now arriving in St George’s and more are expected to arrive today with the Italian naval ship, the Amerigo Vespucci, berthing on Front Street.

“The ships are a fantastic sight and I would urge everyone to come to St George’s and to Hamilton to see them,” Cindy Campbell, event chairman of Tall Ships Bermuda 2017, stated.

A total of 19 ships will visit Bermuda, one of the stops on the Rendez-Vous 2017 Tall Ships Regatta — a 7,000 nautical mile transatlantic race to six countries to mark the 150th Anniversary of the Canadian Confederation through its founders and founding provinces.

Tall ships taking part in another leg of the regatta, from Charleston to Bermuda, have also arrived in St George’s.

Pride of Baltimore II berthed in St George’s just after midnight on Friday, ten hours ahead of its nearest rival, When and If.

Pride guest crew member Rick Huether said: “The crossing was good, it went very quickly, we had the wind with us. We stayed on one tack almost all of the way.”

The crew worked in shifts of four hours on and four hours off, and said the work was very physical.

Another guest crew member Jonathan Hyde added: “You get to see how a team works and there is a lot of team work involved.”

A variety of events have been planned while the ships are in Bermuda to celebrate their stay.

A cultural day will be held tomorrow in St George’s from 10am to 4pm, and there will be a Welcome to Bermuda Festival at Penno’s Wharf in St George’s on Wednesday from 6pm to 10pm.

On Thursday there will be a Welcome Street Festival on Front Street from 7pm to 11pm. A concert by Bermuda’s own Collie Buddz on Friday, at City Hall car park, will be one of the event highlights, with part of the proceeds going to Sail Training Bermuda. Tickets can be purchased from www.ptix.bm.

After leaving Bermuda for Boston, the ships will sail for Halifax and then LeHavre, in France, where the race is set to finish on September 3.

Trainees over the age of 16 can still sign up for other legs of the voyage by e-mailing trainee@tallships.bm

• For more information, visit www.tallshipsbermuda.com