Category Archives: tall ships

The Age of Sail Returns

This week in the Herald I talk about NeoLine, the French firm that is proposing a new transatlantic service by sail powered RO-RO vessel. The Firm has a shipping commitment from Michelin, which would see this service call in Halifax starting in 2023.

Not to be out done, Wallenius Wilhelmsen plans a sail powered PCTC in 2025. The Orcelle Wind will carry 7000 cars at 11 knots under sail.

Cargo under sail happened in Halifax in 2019 in a very traditional manner with the arrival of the Cargo Schooner Avontuur with a load of coffee bound for Just Us.

Ship Tour Photos

Some recent additions to our ship tours collections, courtesy of our UK Trip. More Can be found at https://www.flickr.com/photos/hfxshippingnews/collections/72157633267966243/

HMS Belfast is a Town-class light cruiser that was built for the Royal Navy in 1939. She severed until 1961, and became a museum ship in the 70’s.

Cutty Sark was built in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, she was one of the last and fastest tea clippers to be built. with the Suez open in 1869, steam ships had an advantage, but she contained sailing in the wool trade, before becoming a sail training vessel.

Golden Hind is a replica of Francis Drakes ship that circumnavigated the world between 1577-1580. the replica was built in 1972, and can be sailed.

HMS Warrior from 1860 is a 40 gun frigate. Notable as the first RN armour-plated, iron-hulled warship, she also has a steam engine. from 1904 she served as a shore establishment, working as an oiler from 1927-1979.

HMS Victory was Nelsons flagship at Trafalgar.

HMS M33 is an M29-class monitor of the Royal Navy built in 1915. She saw active service in the Mediterranean during the First World War, and then served in other rolls until being sold in the as an attraction in 80’s.

Activ in Lunenburg

Activ of London is a three masted top gallant schooner built in Denmark in 1951. the ship has been in Lunenburg since may, undergoing general maintenance and replacement of some of her rigging. the ship will be sailing for Svalbard Norway, where it will play a whaler in an upcoming film. Additional pieces to outfit the ship as a whaler, including boat davits were also added during the work period.

The ship serves as an expedition vessel,and besides film appearances is used to conduct oceans research. The ship was built as Mona, and was originally rigged as a ketch. Post war, Fuel and steel were in short supply, so a few years, it made sense to build small wooden freighters that could sail. Active had a load capacity of 211tons and was used to supply villages on the east coast of Greenland. she was converted to her current rig in 1975.

Boat Davits Added to convert her to a whale ship.
Up in the Rig.
Caulking the Hull to ensure watertightness

Cargo Schooner Avontuur

The Schooner Avontuur arrived Tuesday, and works as a cargo ship. Originally from the Netherlands, it was in regular cargo service between 1920 and 2005. After working as a day sailer for a few years, in 2014 it became an ambassador for wind powered global trade. 

the ship had a very nautical entry to port over the noon hour, with the pilots guiding the ship into port via radio from the pilot station, before boarding just inbound of Maugers Beach. The ship tied up at pier 25.

ARM Cuauhtémoc for port visit

tied up at pier 24

The Mexican Navy’s sail training vessel ARM Cuauhtémoc is tied up at Pier 24. the ship is open to the public until Wednesday 11am-8pm

She is the last of four sister ships built by the Naval Shipyards of Bilbao, Spain, in 1982, based on a design similar to the 1930 designs of the German firm Blohm & Voss so she is a modern version of the  USCGC Eagle. Her contemporaries Include Gloria (1968 Columbia) Guayas (1977 Ecuador) and Simon Bolivar (1980 Venezuela)

Caledonia on the Move

After languishing for a number of years in Toronto, the Tall Ship Caledonia is on the move again, this time back east. The Ship was converted in 2008 by Canadian Sailing Expeditions as a cruise vessel, but the venture never really got off the ground, and the ship was re-possessed by Caterpillar Financial. the ship was moved to freshwater from Lunenburg in 2012.

It now appears that the ship has been acquired by Boston’s Navy Yard Hospitality, who will moor the ship in the former Boston Navy Yard. the ship will be used as a floating restaurant alongside – with permits in place until October. If successful, the venture may be Renewed.

Originally listed for sale for 12 million, the Caledonia can by yours now for $1.49 million US.

Tall ships this weekend

The Portuguese navy sail training vessel NRP Sagres is Due to arrive in Halifax on Sunday at 10am. Many of her siblings and step-sibblings have stopped in Halifax in the past number of years.

NRP Sagres will be open to the public, June 18th from 10am to noon; tomorrow, June 19 from 10am to noon, 2pm to 7pm and 8pm to 11pm.

The Bluenose also arrived in Halifax today, and will be offering sailings until the 20th.

If you would like to avoid sounding like a landlubber – Brush up on your types of sailing Vessels.

Shipspotting 101: Sailing vessels

Cat Boat

catboats are simple, and feature only a main sail. the Opti or the Laser are common Examples. Not restricted to small dingys, the  Hinterhoeller built Nonsuch is a cat rigged keel boat that was built in lengths of 22-40 feet.

 

Sloop

sloops feature 2 sails – a Main sail behind the mast, and a Jib forward. a Jib will not extend rearward beyond the mast, however a Genoa will. Genoa’s are also known as an overlapping jib, and can be seen on the examples above. this is also a Simple fore and aft rig (with a sail infront, and behind the mast) which will be repeated on larger vessels.

Yawl / Ketch

Dorothea is a ketch. Both vessels add a second “Mizzen” mast behind the main sail, the difference in name comes from whether that mast is located Fore or Aft of the Rudder post. In Dorothea’s case, the rudder is on the Transom, So its a Ketch. The Mizzen mast on a Yawl is typically much smaller then the main, and as far to the rear as possible.

a famous yawl was Joshua Slocum’s vessel Spray

Schooner

Schooners are a complicated sail plan, because there can be so much variation. Bluenose is an example of a Gaff rigged schooner. A schooner is a ship rigged the main sail (largest) on the main mast, and a foresail on the foremast. The Gaff rig refers to the the spar member at the top of the sail, which allows for more sail area as the sail doesn’t need to be triangularly shaped to come to a point at the mast.

3 masted schooners are also common, and simply add an additional sails. (the largest schooner featured 7 masts) topsail schooners feature additional top sails on the masts, as seen on the Pride of Baltimore II.

Finally a Bermuda rig schooner features triangular sails off the fore and main masts, as you would see in a sloop. – Not surprisingly, the Bermuda rig is found on the 3 masted schooner Spirit of Bermuda. This Ship also Shows the relative hights of the Masts – the Main Mast (the center mast, carrying the largest sail) is Tallest, the foremast is next, and the mizzen is shortest. The Spirit of Bermuda’s masts are also Raked – or angled rearward. this was done to improve performance of the ship.

Brigantine

A brigantine is like a schooner, however it features a Gaff rigged main sail on the main mast, and is Square rigged on the foremast. While many historical examples exist, the only current examples I know both belong to Bytown Brigantine, The Black Jack, and Fair Jeanne (pictured)

Brig

A brig features 2 square rigged masts. the Main Mast features a Small Gaff rigged sail as well to improve maneuverability. the US Brig Niagara is a replica of Oliver Hazard Perry’s relief flagship on the great lakes durign the war of 1812.

Barquentine

A Barquentine is a vessel with 3 or more masts – the foremast being Square rigged and the others being gaff rigged. Peacemaker (above) is an example.

Barque

A barque is a vessel with 3 or more masts, the foremast and main mast being square rigged, and the Mizzen mast gaff riged. The Picton Castle is a good example of a barque.

Full Rigged Ship

A full rigged ship features 3 or more masts, all square rigged. The Italian Navy vessel Amerigo Vespucci is a full rigged ship, though I don’t have a photo of her with her sails up.

 

Finally, In Summary:

https://youtu.be/YHNLQJ4gaVs