American Sail Training Association

Bay City has hosted the American Sail Training Association each year its Tall Ships Challenge event has come to the Great Lakes. We are proud to be an active partner in ASTA's efforts to inform people about tall ships, our maritime heritage and the incredible power of sail training to change lives.

ASTA had its beginnings in 1973 after founder Barclay Warburton III of Newport, Rhode Island was inspired by the enthusiasm and spirit he encountered at an international gathering of Tall Ships in Europe a year earlier. ASTA soon became the first national association to formally affiliate with what eventually became known as the International Sail Training Association.

Today, hundreds of Tall Ships from around the world come together annually for friendly competition in international and regional Tall Ships Races organized by Sail Training International in Europe and national affiliates such as ASTA. These races, along with waterfront festivals, bring together the ships and young people of most European countries, Russia and the former Soviet states, the Americas, and the Pacific Rim. The key element uniting these events is an emphasis on youth.

ASTA has evolved into an organizer of tall ships races, a strong industry association for growing numbers of vessels involved in providing experiences for people of all ages to take part in deep water sailing experiences, and a public charity which makes sail training more available and affordable for young people. In 2001, building on the spectacular success of Tall Ships 2000, ASTA launched its most ambitious project to date - the Tall Ships Challenge, an annual series of tall ships races and maritime port festivals. ASTA and the Challenge have visited the Great Lakes in 2001, 2003 and will come again in 2006. They are not expected to return until 2010.

ASTA Seeks Summer Interns

Mature young adults who are organized thinkers, motivated workers, enthusiastic learners and confident communicators should apply to become a Summer Intern with ASTA. Three to four Interns will join ASTA in Newport, Rhode Island in June and assist the Race Director and staff in preparing for the Tall Ships Challenge. Interns travel with the race team and work at port events with vessels, crews, trainees, port organizers, US Coast Guard and others. Wherever possible, Interns will have the opportunity to sail aboard a Tall Ship during one of the race legs.