Tall Ships Belfast 2015: Reporter's emotional journey

The tall ships are a spectacular sight, set to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to Belfast. On board are 2,000 crew members from 30 different countries, taking part in the first leg of the 59th Tall Ships Race from Belfast to Aalesund in Norway.

The BBC's Julian Fowler recalls his experience of broadcasting onboard the tall ship Europa during the transatlantic race in 2009.

As part of the crew of a tall ship you are expected to get involved in every aspect of sailing from hoisting the sales, manning the helm and keeping lookout, to cooking in the galley and scrubbing the decks.

A highlight of my transatlantic tall ships experience was climbing the rigging to the Royal Yard at the top of the mast of Europa, 100ft above the deck as the ship rolled in the ocean swell.

We also felt the force of an Atlantic storm, with massive waves crashing over the deck.

On the night watch with force 7 winds and a 12ft swell, it took three people on the helm to turn the wooden wheel to control the rudder and keep the ship on course.

It may sound terrifying, but it was also exhilarating to stand on deck as Europa seemed to sing with the noise of the wind in her sails.

On the faces of the trainees you could tell they had experienced something magical, something of the spirit of the age when square riggers like Europa and clippers and schooners ruled the ocean waves.

At the end of the watch, lying below decks in a bunk listening to the sound of the ocean roar made for a sleepless night, the ship shuddering as it crested and surfed down the next wave.

During the day, as the storm subsided, the ship was joined by dolphins playing in the bow wave.

After 18 days at sea covering 2,500 nautical miles, I stared at the horizon and finally caught my first glimpse of land.

As Tory Island and the mountains of Donegal came in to view, I had to fight back the tears, with an unexpected mixture of exhaustion, relief and the knowledge that I would soon be seeing my family.

When the tall ships returned to Belfast this week, I joined the tall ship Morgenster to try and relive some of the magic of that first experience.

I slept on board for a night before making the short journey up Belfast Lough from Bangor, and joined the trainees on the ropes hoisting the sails.

Of course I also had to climb the rigging to the crow's nest, no less nerve-racking in the calmer waters of the harbour, but the effort was rewarded with a spectacular view of the shipyard, the docks, and the Titanic Belfast museum.

The captain of Morgenster Harry Muter lives aboard the former fishing vessel and radio ship, which in 2008 he finished converting into a sail training vessel, based on a 19th Century clipper brig.

Sail training offers an outdoor education experience for young people, to learn new skills and work together as a team.

"Sailing a vessel over the sea is a very authentic life," said Mr Muter.

"It's one of the little leftovers of pure nature, that you have to deal with the weather as it is."

He says this is something that has not changed over the last 2,000 years.