A flotilla of hundreds of historic ships was heading into Amsterdam on Wednesday, kicking off a five-day festival celebrating the Dutch capital’s maritime history. 

Vessels from all over the world, their masts and rigging decorated with flags, left the North Sea coastal town of Ijmuiden to begin their hours-long journey up the North Sea Canal and into Amsterdam’s Ij waterway for SAIL 2025, the first edition in a decade. 

Each ship is greeted with two cannon shots and its country’s national anthem as it enters the harbour. Hundreds of smaller vessels packed the waterways to watch the ships pass. The event is held every five years, but the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.