Masterskip buys Tall Ship Gulden Leeuw

Shipping company Masterskip has bought the Tall Ship de Gulden Leeuw, the key transfer will be in September next year. With this, Masterskip will further expand its fleet and even more high school students will be able to take an educational ocean voyage.

The Gulden Leeuw is a Tall Ship fully equipped for sail-training and already sailing under the Dutch flag. In recent years, it has mainly sailed with German high school students. With a length of almost 70 metres in total, three masts and more than 12 sails, the impressive ship is a welcome guest at Sail events worldwide. Next year, the ship will be part of the boat parade during the tenth edition of Sail Amsterdam.
The ship had been up for sale for some time, due to the decease of skipper and co-owner Arjen Töller. As a result, the team was no longer complete. They were looking for a buyer who really wanted the ship to sail as a training ship and not just as a charter ship for business.
Masterskip now has three ships of its own, the Wylde Swan, Noorderlicht and the Gulden Leeuw. This year the Artemis will be hired, next year it will no longer sail for Masterskip. The Gulden Leeuw now sails charters for a German shipping company and is booked until next year. Masterskip will also take over the entire crew.

Caribbean

The Gulden Leeuw will sail as Masterskip from September 2025 and will be deployed on Caribbean voyages. In 5 stages that can take 48 youngsters each time, the ship will make the popular Trans Atlantic round trip: The great crossing from Europe to the Caribbean, where the ship sails past several islands. The ship then sails back to Europe via Cuba and the Azores. These voyages can be booked on the Gulden Leeuw from 1 November this year.
Around 500 pupils a year can join on board for a sailing trip via Masterskip. Managing director Frank Stienstra says: ‘Our trips make an indelible impression on everyone who goes along. Both teachers and trainees often experience the rhythm of the sea, the brute energy of nature and bonding on board as very valuable life experiences. Something we wish for everyone. And something we can now fortunately offer to even more trainees.’

Masterskip

Masterskip has been organising educational programmes on its own Tall Ships, large traditional sailing ships, since 2012. Secondary school students between the ages of 14 and 17 sail on an average of 6 weeks on various Atlantic voyages. Experienced teachers on board ensure they can do their regular schoolwork effectively. To this end, Masterskip collaborates with dozens of educational institutions across the country. But in addition, they learn plenty about the wonders of the ocean, exploring new cultures and learning to sail the ship independently.

Read this article by Tessa Heerschop in the Schuttevaer (subscribers only).
Photo: De Gulden Leeuw in Quebec by Cephas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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