SAIL 2025

SAIL Amsterdam came back this August after 10 years away. This huge ship festival happens every five years but last one was cancelled due to COVID-19. So this time the crowds were massive with very long lines everywhere, but it was still amazing.

The best part was exploring the different types of boats. There were huge sailing ships with tall masts, cute old Dutch wooden boats, and copies of 15th-century Spanish and Portuguese ships like the ones famous explorers used. Walking through these old-style ships was incredible - you could see the tiny rooms and simple tools that sailors used hundreds of years ago to cross dangerous oceans. It really made you think about how brave those early sailors were.

The evening fireworks show was ok, but I liked more what was happening right after — all the ships started honking their horns at the same time, creating this loud, amazing sound across the water.

Even though the crowds were so big that I missed visiting some ships I wanted to see, the whole experience was fantastic. I'm already excited for the next SAIL in 2030!