New Delhi, Aug. 21 -- Crowds packed vantage points along a major canal and took to the water themselves Wednesday to watch a flotilla of hundreds of historic ships sail into Amsterdam at the start of a five-day festival celebrating the Dutch capital's maritime history.

Ships from all over the world, many with their masts and rigging decorated with flags, sailed from the North Sea coastal town of IJmuiden on an hourslong journey up the North Sea Canal and into Amsterdam's IJ waterway for SAIL 2025, the first edition in a decade.

A puff of orange smoke erupted into the sky and ships' horns sounded as the replica three-masted clipper Stad Amsterdam passed through a lock to mark the official start of the event. Each ship is greeted with two...