Helsingin Perinnepurjehtijat ry (Traditional Sailors of Helsinki) was originally founded in 1994 by a group of young people with a shared mission to keep traditional sailing, seafaring skills and shipbuilding expertise alive in Finland. For years, the association was a vibrant hub for young people passionate about traditional ships and sailing, until it went quiet around the turn of the millennium.
In 2023, there was a regrouping and a new generation of sailors breathed life back into the association, in cooperation with the original members to carry the original spirit forward: traditional sailing, by young people, for young people.
Come and be part of the story, join the Traditional Sailors of Helsinki today!
We believe traditional sailing culture is something worth keeping alive and our goal is to make it as easy as possible for young people to find their way into this world
You can join our activities without any previous experience in sailing or maintaining wooden boats. In traditional sailing, you learn by doing, and you do it together!
We're also big believers in the power of intergenerational exchange. If you're a veteran in the field, we'd love to connect, because chances are we have plenty to learn from each other. We see ourselves as a living bridge between the knowledge and expertise of today's practitioners and the next generation of enthusiasts.
And there's more to it than just sailing. Traditional sailing culture is deeply intertwined with the maintenance and restoration of wooden vessels, as well as a whole range of hands-on crafts, such as ropework, sail-making and sail repair. We're a year-round community, so these skills are practised and passed on outside the open water season.
We're also passionate about strengthening cooperation in the field, both at home and internationally. If you share our love of traditional sailing and wish to collaborate, we'd love to hear from you, please get in touch!
At our March Open Purjevintti -event, we got hands-on with the wonderful world of ropes. The evening was packed with fascinating insights into rope history, materials, and techniques, which are guaranteed to come in handy long after the workshop wrapped up.
On October 11th, 2025, the Helsinki Traditional Sailors took to the water for the Tervasaaren Tynnyri -race aboard Lyra, skippered by Vera Anttila. Now in its 38th year, Tervasaaren Tynnyri is one of the great traditional sailing races for historic vessels.
After a dedicated renovation carried out with the help of HPP volunteers, Storbåt Lyra is making her comeback. On August 16th, 2025, Lyra will take to the waters surrounding Suomenlinna for Viaporin Tuoppi, the largest wooden sailboat competition in the Nordic countries.
Address: Pohjoisranta 8, 00170 Helsinki
