Tall Ships

Sailboats just Keep Getting Faster

Alison Williams | Tall Ships | October 10, 2011

Sailboats will never reach the speed of motor boats but that doesn’t seem to stop them trying. Of course to discuss the speed of sail boats one has to qualify what one means when the word speed is used. Is it the speed over a short distance or across oceans? Does it mean how fast in enclosed waters or on the sea, single handed or with more than one person. Monohulls or multi hulls, and what about kite boards and windsurfers – do they count?

Until the age of power took over, the fastest commercial sailboats were the famous clippers who used to ply the trade routes between North America and Europe and to the East Indies and the Far East around the Cape of Good Hope and the longer rout out toAustraliaand the Pacific. The age of the clipper has long gone and there are very few boats that use sail primarily for commerce these days and they aren’t necessarily fast – the accent is on economics rather than time.

In the leisure world, the situation is different. Freed from the necessity of reaching time deadlines to carry cargo, the accent has shifted to beating other craft of similar type. Here the records continue to tumble.

Sailing yacht © Netfalls - Fotolia.com

Technically speaking, the fastest craft to use some sort of wind powered device is a kite board with the record being 50.57 knots. The second fastest craft would be very close – Antoine Albeau has the record made in 2009 on a windsurfer, with a speed of 49.09 knots, at Les Saintes inFrance.

If windsurfers and kiteboards don’t really measure up as sailboats then the next fastest object in the water over short distances must be the massive trimaran hydrofoil L’Hydroptere which recorded speeds up to 47 knots and an average over a nautical mile of 41 knots inQuiberonBayon the French coast recently. It is not yet certain whether the design is suitable for use out os very sheltered waters o this sped may not truly be classed as a marine sailboat record. Macquarie Invention clocked up an even faster speed of just over 50 knots but this was for less than half a nautical mile. Without doubt multihulled sailboats are capable of doubling the average speed of any mono hull.

Now for the mono hulls. A whole succession of records have been shattered over the last ten years and it is likely that the fastest time and the fastest 24 hours will continue to change as technological improvements are made. The fastest at the moment is ABN AMRO Two with a 24 hour record breaking distance of 569.2 nautical miles together with an average speed of 23.4 knots made on passage in the Southern Ocean.

For the multi hulls, Groupamma 3 probably has the record with a 24 hour distance of 794 nautical miles and an average speed of 33.08 knots. The time taken to cross theAtlanticwas four days three hours and nearly fifty eight minutes giving an average speed of 29.25 knots. Proving that round the world speed records are harder to crack, Groupamma 3 broke up when trying to do just that.

The fastest round the world mono hull is currently PRB – an open 60. Vincent Roux who skippered the PRB took 87 days 10 hours and 47 minutes for the circumnavigation.

The fastest single handed sailboat to circumnavigate is the trimaran IDEC with Francis Joyon as the skipper. He took 57 days to get around the planet at an average speed of nearly 16 knots.

A little faster still but with a crewed boat was Orange II, which managed the circumnavigation with an average speed of 17.89 knots and a total time of 50 days

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Tall Ship Bounty II

Nasreen | Tall Ships | July 27, 2011

The Bounty II is a replica of the historical HMS Bounty, which was famous for being the vessel on which the ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ took place on 28 April 1789.

Bounty II was constructed for the filming of 1962 movie “Mutiny on the Bounty” on the orders of MGM film studio. Her design was copied from the pictures of HMS Bounty taken from the British admiralty archives. She was built in a conventional manner in a shipyard in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Her size was increased by nearly one-third of HMS Bounty in order to create space for the large 70 mm film cameras that were to be used for shooting the movie.

The plan at the time of Bounty II’s manufacturing was to burn her down after the movie’s filming, but lead actor Marlon Brando threatened to quit the movie if the ship was to be destroyed. Therefore, MGM decided to keep her in service. After the conclusion of the movie’s filming and promo campaigns, Bounty II was moored in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she remained as a tourist spot until 1986.

Following Ted Turner’s takeover of MGM in 1986, Bounty II became his property and he used it for his personal entertainment and promotional purposes. In 1989, she found her way on the big screen once again when she was used in the movie “Treasure Island” starring Charlton Heston.

HMS Bounty. Creative Commons Wikipedia

She was donated to the Fall River Chamber Foundation in 1993 by Turner. The Tall Ship Bounty Foundation was then created, which dedicated the vessel’s use to educational activities. During the next nine years, the cost of her maintenance became too much to bear for the Foundation and as a result, her United States Coast Guard license was also temporarily suspended. She was then sold to HMS Bounty Organization LLC in 2001.

Under new ownership, Bounty II’s bottom planking was restored at the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard. Anchored in its first permanent home in St. Petersburg, Florida, she once again became a tourist attraction and was also used in “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie series and the pornographic movie “Pirates.”

In 2006, she was once again brought to Boothbay Harbor, where her front end and topside decking were refurbished. She then embarked on a replica journey of the original HMS Bounty. Before commencing it World tour in 2007, she made a seven week voyage across the UK. After making an unscheduled stop in Northern Ireland, she visited Maryport, Cumbria, the place where mutiny leader Fletcher Christian was born.

While harbored at Scotland’s Custom House Quay in September 2009, Bounty II was the target of a robbery. The thieves stole some cash and several valuable emblems but fortunately all the items were recovered from a nearby location.

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Tall Ship ‘The Belem’

Nasreen | Tall Ships | June 29, 2011

Constructed in 1896 at Nantes’ Chantiers Adolphe Dubigeon, ‘the Belem’ is a three-masted French sailing vessel, which was officially put in service on June 10 of the same year. She embarked on her first journey on July 31, 1896 and left its home port of Nantes for South American cities of Montevideo and Belem-its Brazilian namesake.

Named after the town of Bethlehem, the Belem was originally designed as a cargo vessel and she was used for the physical importation of sugarcane, cocoa and coffee from the Caribbean, Brazil and French Guiana respectively.

It was her good luck that she came out unscathed from the demolition that took place on 8 May 1902 in Saint-Pierre de la Martinique, due to the volcanic eruption of Mount Pelée. At that time, the Belem’s Captain Julien Chauvelon couldn’t find a place in Saint Pierre to anchor the tall ship, as the city’s roads were completely occupied by numerous vessels and boats. In an effort to save the Belem from Mount Pelée’s wrath, the now enraged Captain anchored her at a distant beach.

In 1914, she was bought by the Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor, who transformed her from a cargo ship to a deluxe yacht and added a pair of additional Bolinder Diesel engines 300 HP to the engine room.

After eight years of service to the Duke, the Belem came under the possession of Sir Arthur Ernest Guinness. The beer tycoon changed her name to the French word ‘Fantôme II’ and also renovated her rig. Sir Guinness was very fond of luxury yachts, evident by his nineteen-year long affiliation with Ireland’s Royal St. George Yacht Club, where he served as the Rear Commodore from 1921-1939. A year later, he returned to the club for a second spell under the capacity of Vice Commodore and remained there until a year before his death.

Sir Guinness’ most famous voyage on the Belem took place in 1923, when he took his four daughters Aileen, Maureen, and Oonagh on a world tour through Panama and Suez Canals. During this grand cruise, they also visited the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. While approaching Yokohama, the Belem once again gave account of its good fortune in dodging catastrophes, when an earthquake severely destroyed the Japanese city and its harbor, but somehow, the barque suffered no major damages.

After Sir Guinness’ death, the Belem was acquired by a Venezian count Vittorio Cini in 1951. She had to go through another name change, as her new owner retitled her ‘Giorgio Cini’ in remembrance of his late son. The count used her as a sail training ship and after some rigorous years of service, she was retired and moored at the Venetian Island of San Giorgio Maggiore in 1965.

In 1972, the Italian law enforcement agencies tried to bring her back into her original barque rig form, but turned out to be financially unfeasible.

In 1979, she was finally returned to its home country of France after being used for nearly 65 years by non-French personnel and authorities. There, it was returned to its original condition and assigned the new role of a sail training tall ship- a job it still performs.

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Tall Ship Amerigo Vespucci

Nasreen | Tall Ships | June 10, 2011

Named after the historical Italian explorer of the fifteenth century, Amerigo Vespucci is the Italian Navy’s tall ship, which is home ported in Livorno, where it is currently serving as a school ship.

In 1925, Italian Navy, which was called Regia Marina until the Italian Republic came into being, commissioned the building of two tall ships, designed by Italian Navy Engineering Corps’ General Lieutenant Francesco Rotundi, who had based his designs on the 74-cannon ships of that time. The first one named ‘Cristoforo Colombo,’ served in the Regia Marina from 1928-1943. At the conclusion of World War II, it was transferred to the USSR, as per the post-war agreement and soon after the transfer, it was decommissioned.

Amerigo Vespucci- the second of the two was constructed at the Naples-based Naval Shipyard in 1930 and was officially launched for service a year later in 1931. It is a 331 feet long vessel, with a full rigged three-masted steel hull, which is 270.34 feet long itself. Its breadth is 51 feet, while it can carry weight up to 4146 tons. It can sail at a maximum speed of 10 knots, under the auxiliary diesel-electric propulsion power.

Amerigo Vespucci. CC Wikipedia

The vessel’s steel masts are 50, 54, and 43 meters tall, while it has a collection of 26 canvas sails, including, jibs, staysails and square sails. At the time of sail sailing, when sea climate is rough, Amerigo Vespucci can go as fast as 12 knots.

In order to stay in line with port regulations, only conventional hemp ropes are used, leaving Amerigo Vespucci as the only three-decked square rigger in operation in the world.

As a tribute to the two gun decks of the 18th century ships, which were the source of inspiration behind Vespucci’s design, two white stripes have been painted in her hull, to go with her full black body. However, there are only two 6pdr guns mounted on Vespucci’s deck, whose planks are made of teak wood and therefore, require replacement after every three years.

The tall ship’s stern and bow have been embellished with sophisticated decorations, including a figurehead stature of Amerigo Vespucci- the explorer.

Amerigo Vespucci has a standard staff comprising of 16 officers, 70 non-commissioned officers and 190 sailors. But the crew size swells up to 450 people during the summer, when it sets forward on Accademia Navale’s annual midshipmen journey.

The ship was originally equipped with 2-stroke 6-cylinder FIAT Q 426 engines, but they were replaced by two 4-stroke, 8-cylinder FIAT B 308 ESS diesel engines in 1964.

Apart from the seven year period of World War II, Vespucci has never been inactive. While her typical training areas are in Europe, she has also embarked on voyages to the Americas, with the highlight being her 2002 world voyage.

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Tall Ship ‘Alexander von Humboldt’

Nasreen | Tall Ships | May 24, 2011

Manufactured in 1906 at Bremen by the shipyard AG Weser, Alexander von Humboldt is a German tall ship, whose original title was ‘Reserve Sonderburg.’ After nearly 80 years of service, during which she regularly operated in the Baltic and North Seas, Reserve Sonderburg was retired in 1986. Two years later, another German shipyard Motorwerke Bremerhaven transformed her into a three masted vessel and re-launched it under the current name of Alexander von Humboldt.

Reserve Sonderburg was originally drafted in on September 10, 1906 as a reserve light vessel so that it could cover for others at the time of yard maintenance. Having being assigned the construction serial number of 155, it was the first light vessel of its kind, made by AG Weser. Like most of the other light vessels of that time, Sonderburg’s hull was also based on another sailing ship.

There is some ambiguity regarding the ship’s original name, as according to the documentation dating back to its 1906 inauguration, Reserve Sonderburg was also called ‘Reserve Fehmarnbelt.’ Her first home port was in the Danish city of Sønderborg and therefore, it can be argued that the name ‘Reserve Sonderburg’ was a derivation from this connection. From the 25 year period of 1920 to 1945, the light vessel served on a number of routes, but its main operational area was around the Baltic Sea, while its home port was based in Kiel-Holtenau. In 1945, she was permanently chosen as the replacement vessel for Kiel- the light vessel, which had been damaged severely in the World War II bombings.

Alexander Von Humboldt

Reserve Sonderburg sank in 1957 as a result of a collision with a Swedish freighter. She was subsequently pulled out of the water and required intense overhauling of two years, before it was possible to put her back into service. In 1967, upon receiving a promotion in her location, she was again assigned the role of reserve light vessel- her original sea role. A few years later, she was again selected to fill in for retired vessel ‘Amrumbank.’ Another accident ensued and Reserve Sonderburg was towed to Bremehaven and renamed ‘Confidentia.’

In May 1988, she was re-inaugurated by the ‘Deutsche Stiftung Sail Training’ under its current name of Alexander von Humboldt- a tribute to the famous German voyager of the same name. DSST transformed the reserve vessel into a tall ship and coloured its hull green, as a tribute to the Rickmers shipping company’s historical green sailing ships.

Nicknamed ‘Alex’ by her crew, Alexander von Humboldt is currently serving as one of DSST’s sail training ships and has covered more than 300,000 nautical miles during its two decades with the German company. She still takes parts in several annual events such as tall ships’ races and summer cruises in the North and Baltic Seas.

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Denis Sullivan, Wisconsin’s Courage

Ajay Anilsree | Tall Ships | May 20, 2011

Denis Sullivan, a wooden, rigged schooner is part the United Nations Environment Program and belongs to the State of Wisconsin.

In 1991, Milwaukee residents and other state volunteers thought about building a tall ship for the first time. The purpose behind their attempt was to educate people about the Great Lakes. They also decided to make the ship they were going to construct, a platform for those who find it pleasant to delve into the unforeseen areas that lie scattered across the ocean.

The construction of the ship was completed after spending about one million volunteer hours. There were other several professional shipwrights besides ordinary workers who worked hard for the successful completion of the ship. Thus Denis Sullivan came into being in June 2000.

The first voyage took place in November 2000. From Milwaukee this beautifully constructed tall ship started its maiden voyage to Caribbean Ocean. She became the official flagship of the State of Wisconsin. The journey was really extraordinary as far as the exploration of the five Great Lakes, Caribbean and East Coast is concerned.

Denis Sullivan weighing 97 tons had a length of 137 feet overall and 98 feet on deck. The height comes to 95 feet. It carried two 180 HP auxiliary engines. 31 persons could be accommodated overnight and 60 persons on day sails, including the number of crews. There were shared toilets and showers. Storage facilities were limited. Denis Sullivan consisting of 10 crews had a mesmerizing power.

Winsconsin © Andrew Jalbert - Fotolia.com

Denis Sullivan, designed by the inspiration of the Great Lakes cargo schooners of the 19th century, was provided with a raffee, a fore topsail triangular in shape. An efficient cargo carrier, it looked more beautiful in its construction and sailing procedure. Its rigging and deck arrangement were so well designed as to be a number one tall ship that she extremely differed from all other tall ships constructed at that time.

The usual construction technique of Great Lakes cargo schooners was not applied in the construction of Denis Sullivan. Usually the ships were built with flat bottom in order to minimize draft. Sailing in shallow water was quiet as a result of this type of construction. They carried a centerboard.

But Denis Sullivan was different from other construction work. Her deep hull and weighted keel gave her high stability during the voyage. Six feet four inches of head clearance facility made it entirely different from other tall ships. Thus Denis Sullivan entered deep into the minds of those who loved the sea.

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Tall Ships Valparaiso: Velas Sudamerica 2010

Avanzini | Tall Ships | April 20, 2010

Last week Velas Sudamerica 2010, the event that marks the 200th year anniversary of the first national government in South-America, a time that opened the way to independency in South-America, made a port call in Valparaiso Harbour.

Acording to Chilean Navy, more than 270 thousand people visited the 11 ships moored at Valparaiso bay, sharing with the crew of each ship from Argentina, Brasil, Colombia, Ecuador, España, Holanda, México, Portugal, Uruguay y Venezuela, and also Chile.

My friend Thad Koza sent me this beautiful images from the event. Thad Koza is the author of Tall Ships: The Fleet for the 21st Century, now on it’s 5th edition.

Tall Ships in Valparaiso Harbour by Thad Koza

Esmeralda by Thad Koza

Simon Bolivar at Dusk by Thad Koza

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Kruzenshtern signs up to take part in The Tall Ships Races 2010

Avanzini | Maritime News and Events, Tall Ships | March 15, 2010

The second largest sail training Tall Ship in the world, Kruzenshtern, has signed up to take part in this year’s Tall Ships Races, making a total of 76 to date. The Russian Class A Tall Ship is a regular participant in The Tall Ships Races and will be taking part in the event from the start in Antwerp, Belgium, to Kristiansand in Norway.

photo: Cisne Branco and Kruzenshtern

With several more months to go before the event starts, it is expected that more Tall Ships will enter this year’s race to once again make an impressive fleet of sail training Tall Ships. The event will start in Antwerp, Belgium from 10-13 July from where the fleet will race to Aalborg, Denmark, 21-24 July. A cruise in company will then take the fleet to Kristiansand, Norway, 29 July-1Aug, from where they will race once again across the North Sea to the port of Hartlepool, UK, where the event will finish with a four day festival from 7-10 August.

The Tall Ships Races are an annual event that bring together a large number of the world’s sail training Tall Ships so that young people can experience the fun and excitement of sailing together in friendly competition. A key rule of the event is that 50 percent of each vessel’s crew must be aged between 15 and 25 years. The sail training experience allows young people to understand the need for teamwork and find strengths they didn’t know they had when faced with the challenge of sailing a Tall Ship. The combination of in-port activities, cultural exchanges, sailing with like-minded young people and friendly competition makes The Tall Ships Races a favourite adventure activity.

Three Other Events
This year the organisers of The Tall Ships Races, Sail Training International, are also holding three other events that start in April and end in August, providing a full summer of sail training activities.

The first race of the year is the Garibaldi Tall Ships Regatta, an event that is being arranged to mark the 150th anniversary of of Giuseppe Garibaldi’s successful expedition from Genoa on the north-west coast of Italy to Trapani on the north-west corner of Sicily in the south. The event will take place between 8-19 April and is sure to offer the participating Tall Ships an interesting and warm welcome to the Mediterranean.

The second event is the Historical Seas Tall Ships Regatta, which will take place between 9 May and 7 June and involve four ports new to hosting Tall Ships events. Each of the ports has its own charm and character that will ensure a new experience for ships and crews alike. The route will take the fleet through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosphorus into the Black Sea and back through the Cyclades, visiting ports in Greece and Bulgaria as well as the exotic city of Istanbul.

After The Tall Ships Races in July and early August, the fleet are invited to take part in a final race of the season, the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta. This event will link The Tall Ships Races with Sail Amsterdam. The race will differ from other races run by Sail Training International in that the ships will be offered a number of waypoints around which they can navigate instead of going straight from the start to the finish. The race will be over six days – 11-17 August – and the ship that has covered the greatest distance in the six days, taking into account their time correction factor, will be declared the winner.

All four events will offer anyone with a sense of adventure a fantastic experience and many ships still have places available on each of the events.

Source: Sail Training International

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The Atlantic Race to Belfast has begun

Avanzini | Tall Ships | July 20, 2009

Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge

The fifth and last race of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge got under way this afternoon at 1700 hrs local in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The 13 racing vessels took part in a beautiful parade of sail around the bay in front of Halifax, together with some other vessels that had been in Halifax as part of the festival. Led by local Tall ShipBluenose, the fleet circled the bay in front of a huge crowd of people, many of whom had set out chairs along the quayside hours before the official start of the parade.

The final vessel in the parade of sail was Kruzenshtern, looking slightly odd with her shortened foremast, but nevertheless impressive as her crew scrambled up the mast to prepare the sails to be lowered. The Portuguese ship Sagres looked particularly spectacular as she turned in front of the bridge in full sail and sailed past the cheering crowds and accompanying pleasure craft.

photo: Cisne Branco and Kruzenshtern

The 13 racing Tall Ships then made their way out to the race start area, some five miles off Hartlen Point. The conditions were good with south westerly winds of between 10-12 knots getting the fleet off to a good start. First across the line was the elegant Sagres with Capitan Miranda (Uruguay) crossing just 14 seconds behind her. Third across the line was Europa (Netherlands).

In the combined Class B and D start, Jolie Brise (UK) was quick off the mark and fast over the line. Second over the line and hoisting a bright yellow spinnaker, wasRona II (UK) with Belle Poule (France) in third.

Race control, which is on the Brazilian ship Cisne Branco, will now contact each ship every day to obtain their 1400 hrs GMT position. The fleet’s positions will then be mapped on the Sail Training International fleet tracking software, with their positions on corrected time shown in a table.

The fleet’s progress on the race can be seen via the fleet tracking

The list of all the vessels positions on corrected time can be viewed in the Vessel Positions Update
Further images are available from the Picture Gallery

Sagres leading the fleet across the start line

Photo Credit Sail Training International.

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Vladimir Putin presents prizes at The Tall Ships’ Races in St Petersburg

Avanzini | Tall Ships | July 12, 2009

July 12, 2009, St Petersburg – Vladimir Putin – the Chairman of the Government of Russian Federation – was guest of honour at today’s first-race prizegiving of The Tall Ships’ Races in St Petersburg.

Thousands of visitors including crews from over 100 tall ships from 14 countries turned out at the main stage situated at the spectacular location on the Spit of Vasilievsky Island to see Prime Minister Putin present prizes to competitors for the first leg of The Tall Ships’ Races series from Gdynia, Poland.

This Tall Ships festival, which runs for four days (11-14 July), has already gained huge political prestige in St Petersburg and the city, known as the marine capital of Russia, is honoured to be hosting the event once again.

Joining Putin in presenting prizes on the stage at today’s prizegiving ceremony was Valentina Matvienko – the Governor of St Petersburg, and Christer Samuelsson (Race Chairman).

The Tall Ships, including some of the largest square rigged vessels in the world such as St Petersburg-based Mir, Dar Mlodziezy from Poland, and the brand-new Swedish ship – Tre Kronor of Stockholm, are moored up along Lieutenant Shmidt Embankment on the River Neva, and roads along the waterside have been closed to allow the estimated one million-plus visitors the opportunity to take a closer look at these spectacular sail training vessels. Many of the ships are open to the public, and the crew – 50 per cent of which are young people between the ages of 15-25 years – are on hand throughout the festival to guide visitors around the ships and chat about their experiences of life at sea.

The Tall Ships’ Races, which this year started in Gdynia, Poland on Sunday 5 July, will continue with a cruise in company from St Petersburg on Tuesday 14 July through the Finnish archipelago to Turku, Finland. From there, the fleet will set off on 26 July to race its second leg of the series to Klaipeda, Lithuania.

Press Release STI

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