More than 50 tall ships departed Cadiz, Spain, on Sunday and within two weeks should start arriving in Bermuda.

A delegation of Bermudians were there to see the ships depart, including chief liaison officer Ralph Richardson.

He said the send-off for the ships was very successful and added that the Bermudian delegation made an impression on the Spanish locals and visitors.

"The Bermudians made quite an impression on the locals,'' Mr. Richardson said.

Amongst the local delegation was a troupe of gombeys who joined in the send-off which attracted some 250,000 people to Cadiz and helped create a "carnival atmosphere'', said Mr. Richardson.

Other members of the delegation included Tall Ships 2000 committee chairman Brian Billings and deputy chairman John Watson, a Police Inspector, Customs officials, an Immigration officer, Marine and Ports officials, a Government spokesman and Tourism Minister David Allen.

Mr. Richardson said the Customs and Immigration officers worked extremely hard to pre-clear the tall ships and their occupants in preparation for their arrival in Bermudian waters.

One highlight for members of the delegation was a dinner party which was also attended by Spanish King Juan Carlos.

An individual highlight for Mr. Richardson was the opportunity to attend the start of the race to Bermuda with other Bermudian dignitaries aboard the starting vessel Santa Maria .

Mr. Richardson said: "It was a wonderful, remarkable sight to see the ships disappear over the horizon on their way to Bermuda.'' On some of those vessels were 26 young Bermudians who joined their crews for the Cadiz to Bermuda leg of the race.

But it was not all smooth sailing for them as four who were lined up to sail on the Polish ship Pogoria found that the vessel had pulled out of the race at the last minute and left them high and dry.

However all was not lost as the Captain of the Italian ship Amerigo Vespucci let them join his crew for the trip to the Island while the Pogoria set an alternative sailing schedule and could still rejoin the fleet in Bermuda.

Another vessel which ran into difficulty was the Russian vessel Mir which had to be slipped after suffering engine problems. It is also expected to be able to join the rest of the fleet in Bermuda.

Mr. Richardson noted that more Bermudians would be sailing on later stages of the race.

The 50 ships which left Cadiz will be joined in Bermuda by other ships from other ports and the total expected in the Island's waters next month should be more than 70.

The ships should start to arrive in Bermuda before May 24, with the slower boats arriving toward the end of May and into June.

The climax of Tall Ships 2000 will be a parade of sail for all the tall ships, which will depart Hamilton Harbour on the morning of June 12, assemble in the Great Sound, parade down North Shore in the afternoon and depart for the US at 4 p.m.

About 250 volunteers lined up to help with local events when the ships begin arriving and a meeting is lined up for May 22 when they will receive their final briefings. A venue and time for the meeting has not been finalised yet.

But the local Tall Ships 2000 organisation is still short of funding and Mr.

Richardson yesterday appealed for support from the business community.

For more information about Tall Ships 2000, including all scheduled events, visit the official website at www.tallships.com.