World's Largest Wooden Ship To Visit Jersey

Tuesday, 21 February 2023 08:54

The impressive ship Götheborg of Sweden will being paying Jersey a special visit this summer.

To celebrate this year's Jersey Boat Show, the world's largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship will come to to the island as part of a european tour for its 400-year jubilee.

It will be the first time the ‘Götheborg of Sweden’ has ever came to Jersey, and will voyage back to Götheborg in Sweden after her visit.

During the tour, the ship will visit 13 locations in 11 different countries, as well as receiving 60,000 visitors, by the time she reaches Albert Pier, St. Helier.

Captain Bill Sadler, Jersey's Harbour Master says the Götheborg will be, without a doubt, one of the main attractions this year.

"The ship will welcome visitors and provide a special opportunity to glimpse what life was like for an 18th century sailors."

The Barclays Jersey Boat Show regularly attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year.

In 2003, the vessel was launched, after almost a decade of building, and is replica of an 18th century Swedish East India Company ship that sank in 1745.

Kristoffer Bennis, Expedition Director at Götheborg, says Jersey is one of the teams' select port stops this year.

"We are looking forward to a great visit to the Channel Islands."

Islanders also have the chance to sail aboard the first three legs from Barcelona on 20 March to Sète, Sète to Gibraltar, ending with Gibraltar to Jersey, as a paying deckhand.

A crew of 70 people is needed to sail the ship, with around 20 of that number being professional crew and the other 50 being the average person.