The Tall Ships Regatta could return to Bermuda in June 2017.

According to the Sail Training International website, organisers are looking for the regatta to visit six nations including Bermuda, but so far only the UK, US and Canada have been confirmed as destinations.

Tall Ships Bermuda chairman John Wadson confirmed that Bermuda has been invited to participate in the 2017 event, saying he has been working quietly behind the scenes for some time trying to put everything in place so the Island can take part.

“Being invited to participate is really exciting,” he said. “We have run into a lot of favourable comments, but ultimately these things cost money and we have to figure out how to fund it. We have been talking to various parties trying to work everything out.”

Around 50 ships from more than 20 nations are expected to take part in the international event, which according to an early schedule, will set out from Royal Greenwich in the UK in mid-April. The regatta is then expected to visit Sine, Portugal, before turning to Bermuda, arriving in early June.

The regatta will then continue to Canada, visiting several ports before crossing the Atlantic again to conclude in Le Havre, France.

Canada was specifically selected as a destination in 2017 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation, which brought together Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as the Dominion of Canada.

The Tall Ships Regatta has previously visited Bermuda as part of the Tall Ships 2000 Race and the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge Race in 2009, with the latter scheduled specifically to coincide with the Island’s 400th anniversary.

Mr Wadson said Bermuda is already a popular destination for the sail training community, but transatlantic events like the 2017 Regatta are scheduled rarely because of the difficulty in scheduling.

“They take place about once every ten years,” he said. “The schedule seems to have been accelerated in recent years, but they don’t happen that frequently because it’s a tremendous effort for the ships to make a transatlantic trip. For the European vessels, it takes them out of play in Europe for the season. A lot goes into entering a transatlantic race.”

He also noted Portugal’s proposed involvement in the event, saying Bermuda already has a supporter in the captain of the Portuguese training vessel Sagres, which as part of its mission visits Portuguese communities around the world.

“I think they would be very much on board to come back to Bermuda,” he said.