Hundreds of historic ships from all over the world left the North Sea coastal town of IJmuiden to begin their journey up the North Sea Canal and into Amsterdam's IJ waterway today.
The flotilla arrived for the start of a five-day festival, SAIL 2025, which celebrates the Dutch capital’s maritime history.
The festival draws hundreds of thousands of visitors and held its first edition in 1975 to celebrate Amsterdam's 700th anniversary.
This is SAIL’s 10th edition and their first in a decade. It is held every five years but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020’s edition was cancelled.
Making this year’s edition even more special is SAIL’s festivities coinciding with Amsterdam’s 750th birthday.
As pictured above, puffs of orange smoke erupted into the sky and ships' horns sounded as the replica three-masted clipper Stad Amsterdam passed through a lock to mark the official start of the event.
Each visiting vessel is greeted with two cannon shots and its country's national anthem as it enters the harbor.
Wednesday's parade culminates in an evening fireworks display. The ships will remain in Amsterdam, many open for visitors, through the weekend.
