You cannot help but think about the Maritime history in a place like Falmouth. All types of historic naval and commercial craft have called here and anchored in Carrick Roads, as have many famous modern yachts. But in the last several centuries we’d venture nothing cooler than this modern replica of a clipper ship has set her hook off Falmouth harbor.
Check out the rig on this 250 footer.
You have to know what you are doing to handle this vessel in anything other than moderate winds.
Can you imagine shortening sail on a moonless night in a fresh gale, with half the watch aloft and the other manning the braces? One mistake and the yard crew aloft would be swimming.
We could sit and look at this ship for a week and not grow tired of the details.
Including a very risqué figurehead.
As you go aloft at each set of spars you get to climb out and around the rigging. Not for the faint of heart.
We looked up Stad Amsterdam on the Internet and the details are copied below:
The Clipper Stad Amsterdam was built at the initiative of Randstad and the municipality of Amsterdam. The ship is registered under the Dutch flag, as passenger ship. It has authentic square rigging and a pointed bow. On the 60-meter long, wooden deck, the passengers can enjoy the towering rigging, impressive yards and endless quantities of rope.The ship has 14 luxury cabins, a spacious dining room (for dinners and presentations) and an open-air bar. The Stad Amsterdam can be privately booked for business events, luxury cruises and adventurous sailing trips. It goes without saying that the ship meets all safety requirements (such as the Lloyd’s Register Shipping Inspection, the Dutch Shipping Inspection, Safety Of Life at Sea Certificate, Passenger Safety Certificate and the US Coast Guard Certificate).
Specifications:
Overall length: 250 ft
Beam: 34.5 ft
Draught: 15.7 ft
Speed: 17 knots
Rigging: three-mast fully rigged
Number of sails: 29
Sail area: 2.200 sm
Number of cabins: 14
Engine power: 749 kW
Displacement: 1.038 MT
Hull: steel
Construction time: 1997 – 2000
Posted by Steve Dashew (October 14, 2009)
October 19th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Hi Steve,
Incidentally, the Stad Amsterdam tours the east coast of the US every year, we’ve seen her in Baltimore at least twice, I believe. She is beautiful. Another ship that makes the east coast circuit annually is the Norwegian training ship the Stadtsraad Lehmkhul, which we met underway in the Hardanger Fjord this summer, and recognized immediately. We just returned to St. Katharine’s, after crossing back to England a week ago from Belgium. Gus and Helen
March 8th, 2012 at 8:10 am
It’s a superb ship and to see her sail is impressive. Your pictures are taken just a month after she finished her journey around the world – in September 2009 – as the ‘Beagle’ following the footsteps of Charles Darwin for a Dutch television channel. You can find an excessive amount of video and photo footage at their website: http://beagle.vpro.nl/.