Dutch Tall Ship Europa To Arrive

The Europa, a Dutch sail training tall ship, will arrive Thursday, Sept. 18, for a three-day port visit in Halifax.

Europa will be docked at Queen's Wharf North, on the Halifax waterfront. The ship will be open for public tours Friday, Sept. 19 between noon and 5 p.m. Admission will be free.

The Europa is a 43-metre (143-foot), three-masted barque operating worldwide voyages out of its home port of Amsterdam. The ship is returning home following a summer program participating in the Tall Ships 2003 event in the Great Lakes.

The barque Europa was built for the city of Hamburg in 1911 at the Stülcken Shipyard. Between 1987 and 1994, she was rebuilt into a square-rigged vessel and in the years following her conversion, the ship has sailed the globe offering sail training for both adults and youths. Part of each year, the ship sails as the training ship for Enkhuizen Nautical College. The college trains people as mates and captains of coastal and ocean sailing vessels.

Although the vessel is operated by a professional captain and crew, passengers can stand watches, take turns steering, set sails, bake bread, scrub the decks and practice traditional seafaring and seamanship skills.

The visit of Europa was organized by Waterfront Development Corporation Limited, a provincial Crown corporation, as part of its Visiting Ships Program.

For more information on the visit, contact the corporation at 902-422-0341 or by e-mail at <[email protected].>

Information on Europa is available on the Web site at www.barkeuropa.com .