‘Götheborg’ sails to Barclays Jersey Boat Show

The world’s largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship, The ‘Götheborg of Sweden’, will be visiting Jersey for the Barclays Jersey Boat Show this year.

The ship, which is a replica of an 18th century Swedish East India Company merchant ship which sank off Gothenburg in 1745, will be one of the highlights of the show. It is the first time the ship has visited Jersey, and she will be moored alongside Albert Pier throughout the Boat Show.

The replica was launched 20 years ago after a ten-year build, and the Boat Show will be her third stopover on the European Tour 2023. The ship will arrive from a long sail through the Straits of Gibraltar, along the Portuguese coast and across the Bay of Biscay. After the stopover in Jersey, Götheborg will continue heading north towards her home port of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Jersey’s Harbour Master, Captain Bill Sadler, said: “We are delighted to welcome this unique ship to the Barclays Jersey Boat Show. The show regularly attracts more than 30,000 visitors, and Götheborg will undoubtably be one of the main attractions. The ship will welcome visitors and provide a special opportunity to glimpse what life was like for an 18^th century sailor.”

Kristoffer Bennis, Expedition Director at Götheborg, said: “This is the first time Götheborg of Sweden has visited Jersey, and will form one of our select port stops this year. We are looking forward to a great visit to the Channel Islands.”

Last year, Götheborg of Sweden made 13 stopovers in eleven countries across Europe. More than 60,000 people visited the ship during the different stopovers, and 500 people sailed with the ship as deckhands.

 Sailing as a deckhand

It is possible to apply to sail as a paying deckhand on board the first three legs, from Barcelona to Sète, Sète to Gibraltar, and Gibraltar to Jersey.

A crew of 70 people is needed to sail the ship – about 20 are professional crew, with the other 50 being members of the public acting as deckhands, sailing along for the adventure, experience, and opportunity to learn how to sail an 18th century ship.

European Tour 2023

Götheborg will depart from Barcelona on 20 March, and head for Gothenburg in Sweden to play a central part in the city’s 400-year jubilee at the beginning of June. The ship will make six stopovers during the 2023 expedition, and will invite visitors on board, and offer the opportunity for people to sail along and experience sailing an 18th century ship.

Götheborg – history

Götheborg is a full-sized replica of an 18th century ship, which was owned by the Swedish East India Company, and ran aground and sank off Gothenburg in 1745. In 1984 marine excavation of the original ship Götheborg was initiated and in 1995 the building of a new Götheborg began. Eight years later, in 2003, the ship was launched, and between 2005-2007 the ship sailed the historical route to Asia and back. After that there were several expeditions around Europe, the latest in 2015. In 2021 the ship sailed from Gothenburg to Stockholm and back, and in 2022 the ship sailed around Europe.