SPITZBERGEN, THE COLD COASTS
Welcome aboard the three masted schooner 'Oosterschelde'
Here is information on sailing along on this one and only authentic Dutch threemaster. Her homeport is Rotterdam, from where she started sailing cargo in 1918. She is the largest Dutch restored sailing ship and sails all around the world. You can sail along with her.
The site offers the history of the ship, photographs, voyages, dates & prices. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call or e–mail us.
You are very welcome on board.
Gerben Nab,
master
.
The Ship
General Data
Type: Three-masted topsail schooner
Year of construction: 1918
Restoration: 1988 - 1992
Port of registration: Veerhaven, Rotterdam (51°54.4' N, 004°28.7' E)
Length overall: 50 m
Length stem to stern: 40.12 m
Width: 7.50 m
Draught: 3.00 m
Mast height from keel: 36 m
Sail area: 891 square m
Engine: Deutz 6 cylinders, 360 hp
Two person cabins: 8
Four person cabins: 2
Toilets: 5
Showers: 2
Capacity voyages: 24 passengers
Capacity daytrips: 120 passengers (at sea 36)
Call sign: PGNP
IMO number: 5347221
MMSI number: 246011000
Iridium: +881631827439
Interior
Charter
RECEPTIONS ON BOARD A day trip provides with the opportunity to meet colleagues, customers and other invitees naturally and informally. You can raise a sail together, take the helm or enjoy a drink at the ship’s bar, while above many hundreds of square meters of sail billow in the wind. On a day trip there is room for 120 guests.
EVENTS A sea voyage with the ‘Oosterschelde’ during a nautical event or festival will be a unique event for your group. The ship, the crew and the striking entourage will make this an unforgettable day for your guests.
MEALS A well-run catering organization accentuates the special character of your sea voyage. In the modern galley our chef prepares excellent meals. A snack, a dinner (max. 55 persons) or an extensive buffet (max. 120 persons) are all part of our versatile programme.
longterm charter The ship is certified and equiped to sail worldwide. Please contact us to check the possibilities.
Oostershelde PDF Brochure 3 MB
(The password to open the brochure is "ben")
The ship is very comfortably equipped and fitted with all modern conveniences. All cabins have a wash basin with warm and cold running water. Showers are shared. In the spacious and stylishly furnished lounge are reading tables, sitting areas and a piano. Underfloor heating and a wood-burning stove give a pleasant temperature. There is an extensive library with books on several sailing areas, animal life and ships and there are documentaries on videotape.
The crew generally consists of captain, 1rst mate, engineer, bosun, 2 seamen, cook and galley boy. The crew is fully qualified and has all the papers and diplomas required.
Our Program
Dates and prices are provisional. The shipping company organizes transfers from the Netherlands to the ship and back. We would be delighted to inform about the possibilities. Of course, you can also arrange your own transfer. Prices are per person and include taxes, three meals a day, coffee, tea, etcetera. However, transfer and travel insurance are excluded. Drinks bought in the ship's bar have to be paid in cash at the end of the trip. We accept €, US$ en UK£.
Our program for summer and fall 2006 has the following voyages open:
From June 25 to July 09 (#1) will begin the first of six 14 day voyages to Spitzbergen. The last of these #6, will be from September 15 untill September 29, embarking at Longyearbyen (N) and disembarking at Tromsø (N). The Spitzbergen voyage #6 will be via Bear Island. .
Please contact us for dates and details, plus PDF brochures on the voyages.
Typical Cabin
Sail Plan-Technical drawings
Lines Plan
Construction Plan
Deck Plan
The crew generally consists of captain, 1st mate, engineer, bosun, 2 seamen,
cook and galley boy.
The crew is fully qualified and has all the papers and diplomas required.
Sail Along
The historic threemasted 'Oosterschelde' is the largest restored sailing
ship of the Netherlands. She makes many voyages on all seas and oceans and
you can sail along. Our program shows the voyages she will make in the near
future.
Sailing with such a big original sailing vessel is a very special experience.
The elements of nature have to be reckoned with continuously. Conditions
at sea are never the same. A change of plans at sea is not unusual. At longer
crossings it is necessary to sail by night and to keep watch. All passengers,
except for those who wish otherwise, are, together with the crew, divided
into groups to sail, to steer and to navigate the ship. Sailing experience
is not required.
In our experience most of the passengers prefer to be actively involved
in the activities aboard. The crew will gladly explain the purpose of all
lines, halyards and sheets. Working together creates a bond, but the same
applies to enjoying together the sunsets and sunrises, which are most impressive
from a ship against a broad horizon. The watch system consists of three
shifts, each one lasting four hours. This means that after a watch there
are eight hours to spend in another way.
The 'Oosterschelde' has become loved among nautical and nature lovers. None
of them expects to sail on a luxurious cruise. The main thing is actively
and directly getting acquainted with nature and animal life, with the sea
and with sailing. The ship is very comfortably equipped and fitted with
all modern conveniences. All cabins have a wash basin with warm and cold
running water. Showers are shared. In the spacious and stylishly furnished
lounge are reading tables, sitting areas and a piano. Underfloor heating
and a wood-burning stove give a pleasant temperature. There is an extensive
library with books on several sailing areas, animal life and ships and there
are documentaries on video.
Life on board is made pleasant by excellent meals prepared by our professional
cook and his galley boy.
12 years after her first visit to Spitsbergen in 1994 the 'Oosterschelde' will return to this area for 6 unique expeditions.
Spitzbergen route map
SPITZBERGEN, THE COLD COASTS
About seven hundred kilometres above the most Northern part of Norway, not even a thousand kilometres from the North pole, lies a small group of Islands named the Svalbard Islands. In 1596 two Dutch vessels which sailed under command of Willem Barendsz and Jan Corneisz Rijp discovered these islands whilst searching for a North-eastern passage to India. During the 17th and 18th century hundreds of Dutch and Frisian ships travelled the seas around Spitzbergen to hunt the vast amount of whales and walruses which Willem Barentz had mentioned on his return. Many Dutch names still remind us of these times. Along the coast remainders of the many (tear)ovens and the hundreds of graves still remind us of the harsh and dangerous labour which took place along these coasts.
CLIMATE, FLORA AND FAUNA.
Glaciers, mountains and ice dominate the landscape of Spitzbergen. The ground is always frozen. Only the top layer melts during the short and fierce summer. From the end of May until September there is a period in which the coast of Spitzbergen is more or less clear of ice, this is because of the warm Gulf stream coming from the Atlantic Ocean. Only in this period it is possible to reach Spitzbergen by ship. The rest of the year you will find Spitzbergen enclosed by ice and snow. In the summer there are more than 150 different kinds of blooming plants. In this period the tundra is also turned into an enormous flowerbed. Besides this there are enormous colonies of seabirds breading in the summer. Millions of Razorbills, guillemot, Blacklegged kittiwake, puffins, Northern fulmar and other sorts of birds are building their nests and feeding their young. Ashore you will find different kinds of mammals like the pole fox, the reindeer, and the polar bear, whilst in the sea there are seals, walruses and different sorts of whales. Spitzbergen is one of the last real wildernesses in Europe. Apart from Longyearbyen and two other small settlements you will not come across any roads. A clear day can present you with a beautiful panoramic view of the Polar region, but in the summer there is also the possibility of the landscape being covered in fog. However, you will rarely get the opportunity to enjoy as much sunshine as you will on a trip like this. The landscape is unspoiled and breathtaking, and because of the roughness of the land and the ever- existing danger of polar bears, it is not possible to go ashore without an experienced (and armed) guide. The guides will point out unusual plants and animals as well as special details about history and geology. On board the woodstove will be lit and the crew will make sure the guests are well taken care of.
RIGGING
Oostershelde in Spitzbergen
OOSTERSCHELDE with her rail under near Cape Horn
Oostershelde from stern
Click photo above for more Oostershelde photos
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