During a scheduled repair stop in Cape Town, the windjammer "Europa" overturned on land. The operators announced this on Facebook. The accident apparently occurred when the tall ship was due to return to the water from dry dock.
One sailor was injured, but is currently in a stable condition and is receiving medical treatment. All crew members have reportedly left the ship safely.
The extent of the damage to the ship is still being assessed and no exact timetable for the resumption of sailing operations can be determined at present.
Adventure cruises on windjammers
In 2015, professional photographer Clemens Kok signed on for a cruise to Antarctica and South Georgia on the "Europa".
The barque "Europa
The "Europa" was built in 1911 at the Stülcken shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. She was initially christened "Senator Brockes". The original client was the state of Hamburg. The ship was built to serve as a lightship on the German Elbe. Under the name "Elbe 3", it actually served as a lightship and was later the first reserve. Until the 1980s, it was common practice to anchor lightships in dangerous places near estuaries and sandbanks, and they were always manned. In the late 1980s, however, more and more ships were automated with the help of computers and GPS. Slowly but surely, the ships have become a rare sight.
Sail training ship
The ship was brought to the Netherlands in 1986. In eight years, the ship was completely renovated and re-rigged. The refit was carried out both inside and out. Inside the ship, all cabins were modernised, as were the galley and the communal areas. The exterior was also changed: The ship was re-rigged as a three-masted barque. Most of the renovation and refit was carried out in the Zouthaven in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The ship's current home port is Scheveningen, The Hague, in the Netherlands. The ship can accommodate 48 trainees and 16 crew members. The "Europa" is an official sail training ship. On such a ship, guests are accepted as trainees and take part in the activities on deck. Instruction in sailing the "Europa" by the crew is an essential part of the experience on board. Not only holidaymakers populate the ship, but also students from maritime schools come on board.
