#Industry News
UNDER GREEN SAILS: PART 1
1,200 nautical miles to the Tall Ships Races 2015 on board ALEXANDER von HUMBOLDT II
Every year, they meet in different ports to race against and celebrate with each other: Tall Ships from all over the world and their – predominantly young – crew members. This year’s Tall Ships Races lead from Northern Ireland over Norway to Denmark. NauticExpo was on board ALEXANDER von HUMBOLDT II, the biggest German civilian three-masted barque, on its voyage from the Baltic Sea all across the North Sea to join the races in Belfast.
It is truly a unique windjammer: brand new bright green sails were delivered in April 2015 to replace the 24 white sails – and to match the already green hull! Considering the 1360 m² overall sail area, it is no wonder that changing all of the sails takes several months.The first part of the voyage, via Scandinavia through the daunting sea areas Kattegat and Skagerrak, is supposed to be rough and exhausting. But, contrary to expectations, sun and smooth sea instead of storms and high waves allowed the crew to attach the new main sail at sea, right between Norway and Denmark.Long midsummer days facilitate working almost around the clock and the goal was ambitious: arriving in Belfast under green sails. However, the forecast announced storms as soon as the southern point of Norway was to be left astern…
Want to know, how the voyage goes on? And which world-class encounter awaits the green sailing vessel? Well, part two will follow soon – stay tuned!
In the meantime, you might want to watch the videos on the ship’s website and on YouTube.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Type: Barque
Sail Number: TSG 404 (Tall Ship Germany)
Homeport: Bremerhaven, Germany
Year of construction: 2011
Length overall: 65 m
Width: 10 m
Draught: 5 m
Total sail area: 1,360 m² (24 sails)