With the Tall Ship 2009 festivities coming to a close, event organiser John Wadson is glad to finally have a break.

"It feels great to be able to sit back and think about it," said Mr. Wadson. "At the same time, we have 50 plus people still out there, so our work really isn't done. Our roles are just beginning. "The process is a long one. First we had to convince Sail Training International that it was worth coming to Bermuda for its 400th anniversary, then we had to convince the Government."

Tall Ships 2009 has been in the planning for six years, with Mr. Wadson at the helm of a growing crowd of volunteers.

"We started off meeting at this one table once a month. Then we needed a second row, then another," said Mr. Wadson. "A tremendous amount of work went into this. We started small, and the team just grew and grew."

On the official register, Tall Ships 2009 boasted 320 volunteers, but according to Mr. Wadson many more people jumped in to help as the event came together. "Juggling so many moving parts, you need people who can think on their feet, and that was out liaison team," said Mr. Wadson.

Along with an army of volunteers, Tall Ships organisers worked hand in hand with Sail Training International, the Bermuda Government, Government House and the Corporation of Hamilton to put on the event.

"Government did not cut our funding, which we're very grateful for, Government House was our diplomatic resource in terms of working with foreign nations. They did amazing things," said Mr. Wadson. "I was overwhelmed by the support of some politicians. Paula Cox and Dame Jennifer even came out to watch the start of the race."

According to Project Director Andrew McCall, Governor Sir Richard Gozney went as far as to leave the comfort of the VIP boat Serenity on a police boat to bid farewell to the crew of the Urania in person.

For Mr. Wadson, sailing is more than just a way of life, it's a means to help the development of the worlds youth.

"Sailing has been in my life and in my family," said Mr. Wadson. "At my heart, I'm an adventurer and I enjoy the wilderness, but the ocean is just so accessible. You have this enormous playground, and I take so much pleasure in using it, and so many do. At the core of what we do here is provide young people with sail training opportunities, and we've been doing that every year since 2000.

"They come back more confident, more self reliant, more resilient and better team players.

"With the skills they are so much better prepared to deal with life, get better jobs, build stronger families, and develop a stronger community."

Part of the success of this years Tall Ships race has been the relationship built between Bermuda and the Tall Ships themselves, which will encourage them to take on more Bermudian trainees in the future, and more likely to return to the Island.

"We've build strong relationships with the fleet, so they'll come back," said Mr. Wadson. "It doesn't have to be a race. The race just adds hype."

The crew's reaction to the Island was outstanding, according to Mr. Wadson. "At the prize giving ceremony, the crew of the Russian ship were cheering. Russians don't cheer," said Mr. Wadson.

The reaction of the Bermudian public was just as positive, with locals turning out in numbers to the local events for the trainees. "By bringing people out, I feel like we're bringing them closer together," said Mr. Wadson. "I feel like people really revealed their true Bermudian hospitality."

Next week two more tall ships are scheduled to visit Bermuda in connection to Sail Training International, the Portuguese flagship Sagres, and the Spanish training vessel Juan Sebastian Elcano. "Sagres has a mission of visiting areas with Portuguese communities, so we're looking forward to that," said Mr. Wadson.

Unfortunately, it might be a while before Bermuda sees another Tall Ship event to the scale of Tall Ships 2009.

"In the world of Tall Ships, you need a lot of lead time," said Mr. Wadson. "Tall Ship races like the type we've just seen can only be done once every ten years or so. "Are we planning the next race yet? No, we're focusing on out main work, which is placing trainees."

Even without an event like Tall Ships 2009, opportunities are available for trainees in Tall Ships races throughout the world over the next few years.

While he views the Tall Ships 2009 as an outstanding success, there is one change he wished he still had the opportunity to make. "It should have been called the Bermuda 400," said Mr. Wadson. "That's what it was about. That's the reason why this happened."