100

17-08-2011 10:00 

1900 – 53°35.4’N x 5°16.1’E 

By Matthew Maples

Happy Birthday to us! The Europa celebrated her centennial birthday on August 13 in Hamburg, Germany. All who sailed on her, past and present, were invited to her exclusive party. Dozens of voyage crew from past sails came aboard to mingle their stories amidst our colorful deck, complete with trays of appetizers and evening drinks from the bar. Both Rederij director Reinoud and Captain Klaas gave speeches, toasting the alacrity of our ship and its equally adventurous crews. Klaas said the ship was even older than him, though he is working on that! Then our current trainees gave a short presentation detailing their eventful sail from Halmstad. No doubt those who were present had a moment to recall the experience of their first Europa sail.

On the 15th, Europa moved closer to the mouth of the Elbe River to berth in Cuxhaven alongside one of her sisters, Elbe 1. As you may (or may not know), the Europa was not always the Ocean-Wandering sailing bark and was not always counted among the most famous tall ships in the world. Quite the opposite in fact, she was a floating lighthouse! At anchor in the Elbe River, the Europa’s original name was Senator Brockes, and was third in a series of light-ships that guided mariners into the Elbe River, hence her original designation as Elbe 3.

A light-ship carried a mast with a light-house lantern atop, along with other signal lights. More than just an anchored lighthouse, she was also an information station.  The crew aboard Elbe 3 would also use flag and light signals to relay information to passing mariners. She was not completely without sails though and carried a few staysails for maneuvering.

Luckily for us, the Elbe light-ships of 100 years ago were still made with sailing ship hulls and, even more lucky for us they were made of extra-thick steel. While this makes her a heavy sailer today, this also means that we have a robust hull, strong enough to break the sea ice of Antarctica. It is that hull that allows us to venture so far south in safety.

1994 was the year that the transformation from light-ship hull to sailing bark was completed. Headed by Dutchman Harry Smit, the ship became what we know her today, an ocean-crossing bark made in homage to the last steel-and-canvas square riggers that carried ocean cargo up until World War II. As our signboard says, we now carry adventurous people instead of cargo through the world’s oceans, those who yearn to go beyond the sailing books and their yarning tales of aged men and women, and those who want to experience the prowess of the ocean-going square-rigger for themselves. It is more than a selling slogan for a signboard, this is indeed what we actually do and why we do it.

It was quite the juxtaposition to see the two ships together. Elbe 1, still emblazoned with the red of the light-ship and with a still-working light atop her mast, next to her white sister Elbe 3/ Europa. Could they speak, I would wonder whether Elbe 1 would be jealous of her well-traveled sister in her tall white dress and shining varnish accoutrement. A settling sun gave a wonderful backdrop for our pictures of the pair and was soon replaced by a low, full moon of unusual intensity.

Our trainees seized the warm night to hold their Europa-Vision song contest and  every country aboard sang a song in representation of their home country. Each then faced our American Idol-style panel of scrutinizing judges, our loquacious English barman Andy Dodds, his wife Sarah and the ever-pernicious Diven, one of our deckhands from South Africa, who was selected for his long-standing reputation for tough criticism.

The Belgians sang an anthem, the Danes spun a song of sailors’ lament for shore-side distractions, and England pounded our deck in tribute to Queen. The winning votes though, went to the harmonious voices of Portugal for a folk song they performed.

Our trainees did not wait for the night for fun, they also filled their day in Cuxhaven with an international tug-of-war match. One by one, each country faced off against the other to test their hauling skills – honed by our days of sailing. “Two-six, two-six!,” they howled as they dragged one mewling mob or another past the center line. The first pull went far against plan however, for they were originally given a thick rope to pull, but so strong were all the trainees pulling against one another that they immediately split the line and all fell on their butts! We had to get a spare mooring line, normally used to keep our ship attached to a dock, for them to use instead. That worked!

They also spent the entire first half of their afternoon scrambling to find all our cardboard, cans, duct tape and bubble wrap, for they had been issued a challenge to design a contraption that will save an egg from breaking if thrown from the mast! Many put theirs in insulated cans, the egg immersed in wet flour. One team even put their’s within a big ball of baked bread. Only one egg, its fall slowed from a garbage-bag parachute, survived the fall from the foremast platform intact. And no, it was not a hard-boiled egg!

Early on the 16th, the Europa left Cuxhaven to pay final respects to her past life as Elbe 3. Sailing past the permanent pillar and light that replaced her as a light-ship, a wreath of flowers was dropped into the waters of her former home. Then she carried on west and north, out of the Elbe River and back into the North Sea.

Since then we have been sailing. The voracious rain of our last voyage has given way to slightly warmer weather, some sunshine and twilight sunsets. A huge improvement! Not completely engulfed in the act of sailing hard (as from Halmstad to Hamburg) we have had time for fun, games, lectures and post-dinner banter on deck. All our sails are out and we are gently heeled over. A pleasant sail, overall.

Harlingen is our destination. There our trainees finish their European program. From there we sail to Amsterdam, to conclude our centennial celebration for our venerable bark.

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