Two European Tall Ships Make Rare Appearance to Sail All Five Great Lakes

Two different European tall ships, Roald Amundsen from Germany and Europa from The Netherlands, will be sail the Great Lakes this summer as part of the Great Lakes United TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® 2010. International tall ships in the Great Lakes are rare, visiting only every three-to-four years. As they sail from port-to-port throughout the summer as members of a fleet of 14 -20 ships, depending upon the port, they will be offering berths, or accommodations on board, to anyone looking for a unique summer adventure.

This summer, Roald Amundsen will be making her maiden voyage into the Great Lakes and the Europa will be making her second trip as part of the Great Lakes United TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® 2010. Roald Amundsen will start her Great Lakes’ sail in Montreal, Quebec on June 19th, 2010. She joins Europa and members of the fleet in Toronto, ON, before traveling on to participating cities Cleveland, OH, Bay City, MI, Duluth, MN, Green Bay, WI, and Chicago, IL. Roald Amundsen will also stop in Erie, PA and Montreal in September on her way out. Both ships will traverse all five Great Lakes and the public will have the chance to tour the ships at any of her aforementioned port visits. Each voyage offers completely unique experiences, as they can range from four days to two weeks. To find more information on Roald Amundsen’s voyage dates and rates, visit www.sailtraining.de. For the Europa, visit www.barkeuropa.com.

The Roald Amundsen is a 165’ brig whose home is Eckernförde, Germany. She was initially designed as a deep-sea fish lugger. Her hull was built in 1952 and equipped to service the military fleet of former East Germany. When the Berlin Wall came down, history rendered her obsolete. In 1992, she was discovered by a handful of enthusiasts and was converted into a traditional brig – a tall ship intended for sail training.

The Europa is a 185’ barque tall ship from The Hague in The Netherlands. Europa was originally launched in 1911 in Hamburg, Germany. She was originally used as a lightship in the entrance of the river Elbe. In her second life, which started after an eight-year refit in 1994, the Europa recommenced sailing as a sail-training vessel. After completing her annual Antarctic voyage, she will head north to join the Great Lakes United TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® fleet in the Great Lakes.

Sailing aboard a tall ship is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. People who have sailed on board report making lifelong friendships, learn more about our maritime heritage and water conservation, as well as an amazing time at sea. These ships take people of all ages and experience levels. For bookings, visit the individual ship sites, www.TallShipBerths.com, or www.SailingShipAdventures.com.

The American Sail Training Association is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization focused on youth education, leadership development and the preservation of the maritime heritage of North America. Since 1973, ASTA has supported Education Under Sail and Youth Character Development. ASTA represents over 200 member vessel operations in the United States and worldwide. It organizes the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Series, manages scholarship programs to make sail training experiences more affordable for young people, grant programs to assist crew of ASTA member vessels with the costs of professional development courses and licensing requirements and publishes “SAIL TALL SHIPS! A Directory of Sail Training and Adventure at Sea”.

Attachment: Photo of Roald Amundsen. Credit: Daniel Staeheli

May 25, 2010 Posted in: Canada, United States