She is over 30 metres long and over 5 metres wide, has 7 sails and is already 115 years old: the sea ewer "Amazone" was built in 1909 by order of Captain Ossenbrüggen from Haseldorf at the Hans Jacobs shipyard in Moorrege near Uetersen. In the fleet of traditional ships, the "Amazone" is therefore known as a genuine North German original and one of the last witnesses to sailing cargo ships on the Lower Elbe. She is one of a series of See-Ewers that were built at this shipyard during this period and of which the "Petrine" has also been preserved.
Private funding helped with the purchase
With the help of generous funding from the Bingo environmental lottery project funding programme and other private foundations, the Verein Jugendsegeln e.V. from Kiel will now take over the ship to use it for youth work on the North and Baltic Seas. Last weekend, the "Amazone" was transferred from the museum harbour in Kappeln to Kiel.
The approximately 150 members of the youth sailing club are delighted with the ship, which is ideally suited to their purpose. A spacious saloon with an open galley defines the midship, while cosy cabins in the foredeck offer space for up to 20 sailors and 2 boatmen. The skipper's cabin is located behind the engine room.
It all starts with work
Work began immediately in the new home port, the Germania harbour in Kiel, named after the shipyard that used to be based here. With the numerous members taking part, the ewer was unrigged in no time at all in bright sunshine. Over the winter, repair work will be carried out and a marine laboratory will be installed on board. In co-operation with GEOMAR, a measuring system will be integrated into the seawater line that continuously measures the condition of the seawater (temperature, salt and CO2 content, etc.) and displays it live. The system is also used on the ships of Boris Herrmann and Arved Fuchs. Other marine ecology equipment is also available to the group on board.
Future learning centre for marine ecology
The experience of these investigations and their processing in their own nautical charts and documentation will be taken home by the young people as lasting memories. The topics of marine ecology and protection have accompanied the organisation for decades. With the expanded possibilities of the new marine laboratory, the "Amazone" will become a place of learning for environmental protection, sustainability and climate protection. Of course, there are also regular training courses and training weekends for boat people and prospective skippers, where they learn about procedures on board, pedagogy and safety on board. Anyone who would like to get to know the boat and crew is expressly invited by the Youth Sailing Association to come along and join in at any time.
