Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb fires a [Getty Images]

Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb fires a canon during the kickoff of the Race of the Classics sailing challenge, a sailing race that starts in the Dutch city Rotterdam featureing historical sailboats, on April 13, 2009. The teams sail via Ostend to Ramsgate or Lowestoft, depending on the weather, before re-crossing the North Sea to finish near where it started, in Amsterdam. AFP Photo / ANP / ROBIN UTRECHT netherlands out - belgium out (Photo credit should read ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP ROBIN UTRECHT