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Brigantine may Reverse Fortunes of Trading by Sail

The brigantine “Tres Hombres” may yet reverse the fortunes of cargo carrying sailing ships. The 32 metre boat has just left Bermuda on route to the Azores, carrying cargo to Europe from the Caribbean Islands where it has been sailing for the last few months. It is thought to be the only sailing ship of its kind in that it has been designed to carry cargo rather than just used purely for pleasure or for carrying human passengers.

Harbour and Town of Horta, Faial Isla…

Alan Copson

The 16 tonne boat was purpose built in 2009 for speed under sail as well as seaworthiness rather than its cargo carrying capacity, but has room for over 30 tonnes of cargo in its hold. It is a Middendorf (Dutch) design and was built out of composites. The hull design was tested and modified using a performance design tank.

“Tres Hombres” was named, according to its owners, because the idea of launching an engineless sailing boat destined to carry cargo was the original dream of three friends. The boat is not only low emissions; you could practically say that it is zero emissions, as it has no engine at all! The owners believe that the success of the “Tres Hombres” might stimulate other people to use sail again as a way to trade goods.

The brigantine has been carrying specialty cargo which is of high value, such as rum, chocolate, honey and wine. It is probably just as well that the era of piracy in that part of the Atlantic is over, as the hold contains valuable goods.

The skipper of the boat is Dutchman Andres Lackner. It was his and his two friends’ idea of the engineless cargo ship that eventuated in the dream becoming true. The three have been to Bermuda before on the tall ship “Europa” in 2000 as well as voyaging on the much smaller 10 metre sailboat “Pierius Magnus”.

Together with Mr Lackner are a complement of 10 other crew members from Austria, Croatia, France, Holland, Italy and the UK. The boat has room for three or four extra people who wish to come aboard as trainee crew members on a volunteer basis. The “Tres Hombres” sails for about eight months every year and completes a full circle around the Atlantic as it sails between Europe, the Caribbean and the United States.

While the ship’s purpose might be to demonstrate that cargo can be carried in an environmentally as well as profitable way, the very rarity of its mission invites interest wherever it goes. At each island port that it docks at, the public is invited to go aboard and inspect the last, but not the least of cargo carrying sailing vessels.

March 22, 2013 | Alison Williams

Tall Ships

Narrow Gap Separates Yachts in the World’s Toughest Ocean Race

The six competitors in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011 / 2012 are only eighteen nautical miles apart just off the South African coast tacking in light head winds on the second leg of what is arguably the world’s toughest and longest ocean sailing race. Camper / Emirates Team New Zealand is in the lead, although Team Telefonica holds a slender, overall, leading margin on points.

This year’s race started in the Spanish Mediterranean port city of Alicante and ends in Galway, Ireland, next year. The route this year has taken them via Cape Town and will lead to Abu Dhabi, Sanya in China, Auckland, New Zealand, Itajai on the Brazilian coast, then back across the Atlantic to France and finally Ireland.

The second leg is just over ten thousand kilometers long and will, for the first time put the Volvo fleet in potential pirate waters. Special measures are being taken to protect the six boats from pirate attack as they cross the Arabian Sea after rounding Madagascar and head for Abu Dhabi in the Arabian Gulf.

Sailing Regatta © Rey Kamensky - Fotolia.com

The Volvo Ocean race has a long history. It all started with a whimsical race called the Golden Globe, created by Britain’s Sunday Times which was a challenge for the fastest single handed non stop round the world race under sail alone at a time when hardly anybody was sailing across the world’s oceans slowly, let alone racing. This was the race that was won by Robin Knox-Johnston in a 10 metre leaky wooden ketch built in India and the same race that Bernard Moitessier, in the lead across the Pacific, famously gave up and sailed to Tahiti instead. The interest and fascination that this pioneering race garnered gave rise to the first of the Whitbread races in 1973, so called because of its sponsorship by Whitbread breweries. In those early races, yachts were more modified cruising boats than racing boats with keen amateur sailor / adventurers paying for the privilege of racing around the world. Accommodation was in comparatively comfortable cabins, food and alcohol was not in short supply and only the skipper got paid while navigation was by dead reckoning, compass and sextant.

The races were designed to follow the old square rigger ship routes around the capes leaving from Europe, round South Africa’s notorious Cape of Storms and then through the Southern Ocean to Cape Horn and back to Europe via the Atlantic.

This, the 11th Volvo Ocean race is a direct descendent of the Whitbread series. The boats themselves are a far cry from those of the Whitbread era, however – they are all of the same design – Volvo Open 70’s with 11 crew apiece from 15 diverse nations. The boats are sleeker, faster and are crewed by professional athletes, many of them Olympic gold medalists and veterans from the America’s Cup. Accommodation on board is sparser and more spartan with an emphasis on the desire to win.

One of the boats in this race, Team Sanya, is the first time a Chinese yacht has been entered and is named after the Chinese port city that is one of the staging posts of the race while Abu Dhabi Racing is the first entry from the United Arab Emirates.

The race has changed over the years from one that has favoured yachts that can move fast down wind to one that requires much more tactical skills. The race now crosses the equator not less than four times requiring the crews and their skippers to sail in all types of conditions from the steady trade winds of the North and South Atlantic to the fluky equatorial doldrums and the tempestuous and stormy waters of the Southern Ocean.

As the yachts make their way up into the Southern Indian Ocean and the dangers of the southern hemisphere’s cyclone season, they will be watched by TV satellite hook up by an estimated 60 million spectators.

December 13, 2011 | Alison Williams

Maritime News and Events

MAKE A DATE TO SEE A TALL SHIP OR TWO in 2009

Tall Ships can be seen in a number of ports this year as two big Tall Ships events take place over the summer. A total of 12 ports around Europe and the US will host Tall Ships events from April through to August with over 120 Tall Ships set to be involved.

The first Tall Ships event this year starts in Vigo, Spain from 30 April to 3 May which is the start port for the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge. This 7,000 mile odyssey around the North Atlantic will see a variety of Tall Ships from Europe, South America and the US competing in an event involving seven ports, five countries and hundreds of crew members.

From Vigo the ships race to Tenerife in the Canaries where they will be from 14 to 17 May. The ships will then race westbound across the Atlantic, arriving in Bermuda to form part of their 400th anniversary, an event that is sure to make history. From 12 to 15 June the Tall Ships can be seen in Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda, before leaving in a spectacular Parade of Sail on 15 June.

A third race will take the Tall Ships to Charleston, South Carolina, USA. There the ships will form part of the Charleston Harbor Fest from 25 to 29 June before departing for another race up the east coast of the USA to Boston, Massachusetts where they will join Sail Boston from 8 to 13 July. A short hop up the coast to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada where the Tall Ships Atlantic Fleet will gather from 16 to 20 July before departing for the second Atlantic crossing eastbound to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where they will have their final festival and prize giving from 13 to 16 August.

For the more adventurous, there is still time to sign up to compete on board one of the ships. No prior experience is necessary so as long as you have the spirit of adventure and a pair of deck shoes and shorts, you can be off to sunny climes. Imagine departing Bermuda on a Tall Ship surrounded by a flotilla of pleasure boats in the turquoise seas and racing to the southern charm of Charleston! Those with more time may like to experience the highs and lows of sailing across the Atlantic on either a square rigged ship or one of the smaller and faster racing yachts that will be taking part.

More information on the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge can be found on www.tallshipsraces.com/atlanticchallenge.

Meanwhile in Europe, The Tall Ships’ Races will once again take place in July and August, this year around the Baltic Sea. Starting in the Polish port of Gdynia from 2 to 5 July, a huge Tall Ship fleet will gather for their annual series of races. From Gdynia the fleet of some 100 ships will race to the beautiful city of St Petersburg in Russia, where they will be berthed in the city centre from 11 to 14 July.

From St Petersburg the fleet will cruise amongst the Finnish archipelago before arriving in Turku, a city surrounded by islands for festivities from 23 to 26 July. The final race will take the fleet south to Klaipeda in Lithuania, a beautifully located city that boasts miles of undiscovered sandy beaches, where the fleet will be alongside from 31 July to 3 August.

Trainee crew members are still being sought by a range of Tall Ships to take part in this event. Further information can be found on www.tallshipsraces.com .

Finally, Delfsail will offer a final chance for Tall Ships viewing as a fleet will gather in Delfzijl in the Netherlands from 22 to 26 August. Further information from www.delfsail.nl.

For further information any of these events, including more images, contact Corinne Hitching, Media Manager for Sail Training International.
Tel: +44 77641 83866,
email: Corinne.hitching@sailtraininginternational.org

January 12, 2009 | admin

400 DELEGATES FROM 28 COUNTRIES ATTEND SAIL TRAINING AND TALL SHIPS CONFERENCE

Four hundred delegates from 28 countries around the world converged on Halifax, Nova Scotia (14-15 November) for the International Sail Training and Tall Ships Conference 2008. Organised by Sail Training International in collaboration with the American Sail Training Association (the biggest of Sail Training International’s 25 member national organisations), the conference had an overall rating from delegates of close to ‘Excellent’.

Sail training vessel operators from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and throughout both Europe and North America attended, along with representatives of host ports from Europe, the Caribbean and North America. The conference comprised a mix of plenary sessions for all delegates and an á la carte menu of 16 ‘focus group’ sessions. These covered a range of topics from dealing with the current ‘economic tsunami’ and navigating the regulatory seas, to recruiting trainees, the development of a successful sail training programme, and the ingredients of a successful Tall Ships event. The conference also included a session for the Sail Training International Youth Forum, attended by 40 young sail trainers from 15 countries.

The Rt Hon Rodney MacDonald, Premier of Nova Scotia, opened the conference and a dramatic new two-minute film aimed at attracting young trainee crews to participate in Tall Ships events was premiéred. (This can now be seen on http://www.sailtraininginternational.org/page.asp?partid=959)

It was also announced that Sail Training International’s Conference in 2009 will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in November, one of the host ports for the Historical Seas Tall Ships Regatta, being held in 2010.

November 19, 2008 | admin

Maritime News and Events

Tall Ships Calendar 2009 by Thad Koza

The new Tall ships Calendar 2009 by Thad Koza is now available. Featuring the STAR of INDIA on it’s cover along with 11 other tall ships photographed during the Tall Ships’ Races Mediterranea 2007

To order in the USA download the order form

Also available in Europe through the Tall Ships blog. To order download order form

FAR BARCELONA (Spain)

The Spanish schooner, Far Barcelona, was originally built in Norway in 1874. It has been restored by a consortium of foundations, and schools under the direction of one man. It is a Hardanger jakt (double-masted schooner). It is in Spain as part of an effort by the EL FAR Consortium to open up the city of Barcelona to the sea, provide education and training in sea trades, manages institutional projects and offers services to the nautical sector.

Le DON du VENT (France)

A traditional gaff-rigged schooner, Le Don Du Vent homeports in Marseille. This Bermuda ketch is 105’ in length.

PRINCE WILLIAM (UK)

One of two brigs built in 2000 – 01 for the Tall Ships Youth Trust, Portsmouth, England. The Trust’s brigs are the largest built in Britain for over a century. Their rigging comprises nearly nine miles of wire and rope. _ey carry enough fuel to drive a small car around the world ten times. They have 50 times more computer power than the Apollo 10 spacecraft. Each voyage can accommodate 48 youth for sail training.

SEUTE DERNE II (Germany)

One of the last “Baltic traders” built in the Ring Andersen yard in 1939, the 119-foot gaff ketch now homeports in Travemunde, Germany. The ship was converted in 1964 and by 1973 became a sail-training ship.

THO PA GA (Spain)

A fore and aft schooner, Tho-Pa-Ga was built in 1924 as a traditional Mediterranean pailebot. Tho-Pa-Ga is the diminutive name of an inspirational Buddhist monk. The schooner is 138 feet in length, and is built of double-planked pitch pine.

LINDEN (Finland)

The Linden is a combination of old time shipping tradition and modern requirements for comfort and safety. She was built in Mariehamn, Åland, Finland, between 1991 and 1993, based on the original Linden fore-and aft schooner, which dated back to 1920. Her building required 1,000 pine trees, 50,000 ship nails, 1,000 liters of tar, 110,000 pounds of ballast and 40,000 manhours.

TRE KRONOR (Sweden)

Only an idea in 1993, the 115-foot Tre Kronor was launched in 2005. Tre Kronor was commissioned by Princess Victoria of Sweden in 2006 and is 115 feet long. Her first official sailing was during the Tall Ships visit to Stockholm in July 2007; her maiden journey, in 2008. She is modelled after a Brig built in 1857 as a cargo navy ship. harbor of the Navy town Karlskrona. The frame, planking and garnishing (the inside the ship) are of oak. The deck is built of Siberian larch. Masts and spars are made of pine and larch.

AMERIGO VESPUCCI (Italy)

Amerigo Vespucci is the training vessel of the Italian Naval Academy. She was built in 1930 at the (formerly Royal) Naval Shipyard of Castellammare di Stabia (Naples). following a design by Lieutenant Colonel Francesco Rotundi of the Italian Navy Engineering Corps, inspired by the style of large late 18th century 74-cannon ships of the line. The steel hull is painted black with two white stripes in reference to the gun decks of the original design, but she carries no guns. She was launched on February 22, 1931. In 2007 she was made a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations children’s fund UNICEF.

SPIRIT of BERMUDA (Bermuda)

Known as a “Bermuda sloop,” Spirit Of Bermuda is a three-masted schooner based on an early nineteenth-century design. She was designed for fast dispatch between Bermuda and the other colonial ports of Halifax and Jamaica. _e masts, with their characteristic “rake,” and the triangular sails allowed quick maneuvers and directions changes in response to the unsettled winds of the islands. She was built in 2006, and her homeport of Hamilton, Bermuda, will host the Tall Ships rendezvous in 2009.

STAR OF INDIA (USA)

The Star of India is the world’s oldest active ship. She began her life on the stocks at Ramsey Shipyard in the Isle of Man in 1863, as Euterpe. She was a full-rigged ship until 1901, when the Alaska Packers Association rigged her down to a barque, her present rig. She began her sailing life with two near-disastrous voyages to India. In 1898 she was sold to the Alaska Packers and used as a salmon cannery, under the name Star of India. By 1926 she was saved from the scrap yard by San Diegans, but not renovated until 1976

VIRGINIA (USA)

The 122-foot, $3.9 million schooner Virginia was commissioned in June 2005 as the Old Dominion’s goodwill vessel. She was built along the lines of a 1917 Virginia pilot schooner that ferried professional pilots to guide cargo ships up the Chesapeake after long ocean passages. These boats had to stand station off Cape Charles in rough weather, and had to be seaworthy as well as speedy. She can accommodate up to 12 students onboard as apprentice crew on voyages.

BOWDOIN ( USA)

The Bowdoin was built in East Boothbay, Maine, and outfitted in South Portland in 1921. Captain Donald B. MacMillan envisioned a small vessel, strong, maneuverable, and with a shallow draft for navigating in the icy waters of the far north. For decades, she repeatedly navigated uncharted waters from Labrador’s dangerous coast to the ice choked bays of Greenland and Baffin Island. _ey carried scientists researching the Arctic as well as supplies and medical aid to remote communities. Now celebrated as National Historic Landmarks, both ships are fondly remembered in the many northern communities they returned to year after year.

The size is 11 inches by 14 inches, opening at the fold to 14 inches by 22 inches.

To order in the USA download the order form

Also available in Europe through the Tall Ships blog. To order download order form

February 14, 2008 | admin

Maritime Links and Resources

Cadiz: The Three Thousand Year Old City

Cádiz, the oldest existing city in western Europe, is home to many beautiful and historic monuments and attractions. Its peculiar location at the end of a narrow peninsula lends added charm to this ancient city.

Cadiz is located on a narrow peninsula streching out into a bay and it’s almost entirely surrounded by water. The Phoenicians founded it in 1104 BC as a trading post with Tartessos, under the name of Gadir. Around 500 BCE, the city was controlled by the Carthaginians, until the city fell to Roman forces under Scipio Africanus in 206 BC. The city was renamed Gades and flourished as a Roman naval base.

The 5th century overthrow of Roman power in Spain by the Visigoths saw the destruction of the original city, of which there remain few remnants today. Betweeen 711 and 1262 it was ruled by the Moors, the city was called Qādis from which the modern Spanish name, Cádiz, was derived.

Iin the early 16th century the city experienced a renaissance attaining great splendour as a launching point for the journey to the newly discovered lands of America. Christopher Columbus sailed from Cádiz on his second and fourth voyages. The city later became the home port of the Spanish treasure fleet and as a result of this, a major target of Spain’s enemies. A raid by Sir Francis Drake, was repulsed outside the city in April 1587.

In the 18th century, the sand bars of the river Guadalquivir forced the Spanish government to transfer the port monopolizing trade with Spanish America from upriver Seville to Cádiz on the Atlantic coast. During this time, the city experienced a golden age during which three-quarters of all Spanish trade was with the Americas. It became one of Spain’s greatest and most cosmopolitan cities and home to trading communities from many countries, among whom the richest was the Irish community. Many of today’s historic buildings in the Old City date from this era.

During Napoleon‘s conquest of Europe, Cádiz was one of the few cities in Spain that was able to resist the French invasion.

Cádiz was also the seat of the liberal Cortes (parliament) that fought against Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte in the Peninsular War and where the Spanish Constitution of 1812 was proclaimed. The citizens again revolted in 1820 to secure a renewal of this constitution; the revolution spread across Spain, leading to the imprisonment of King Ferdinand VII in the city of Cádiz.

Some of the city’s 18th century walls still stand, such as the Landward Gate (Puerta Tierra). The old, central quarter (casco antiguo) of Cadiz is famous for its picturesque charm, and many of the buildings reflect the city’s overseas links. In recent years, the city has undergone much reconstruction. Many monuments, cathedrals, and landmarks have been cleaned and restored, adding to the considerable charm of this ancient city.

February 12, 2008 | admin

Travel and Cruising

What’s Sail Training International?

Sail Training International is a registered charity (not for profit organisation) with worldwide membership and activities. With the purpose of developing and educating young people of all nationalities, cultures, religions and social backgrounds through the sail training experience.

To achieve this goal, a range of activities and services are programmed every year. These include conferences and seminars, races and other events for sail training Tall Ships, publications and DVD presentations, international research and the Class A Tall Ships Forum (for the operators of big square-rigged sail training ships). Their members are the national sail training organisations of Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, UK and USA.

The Tall Ships’ Races summer series are organised annually for young people in European waters, as well as other events in Europe and elsewhere in the world, including the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge – the next of which will be held in 2009. The member national organisations also organise regular races and cruises for sail training ‘Tall Ships’ and ‘Small Ships’ in North America, Europe and elsewhere in the world.

Sail Training Internacional: Media Brief

February 11, 2008 | admin

Maritime Articles