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History
A legend under sail
More than 100 years ago a legend of sailing Its course: In 1911, a new gaff schooner was launched from the Lühring shipyard in Brake on the Lower Weser and was commissioned by its owner, Captain Johann Friedrich Kolb from Fockbek near Rendsburg, christened "Friedrich. In March 1924, the ship was sold to the shipowner Axel Ageberg in Kalmar, Sweden, and given the name "Sam". Just two years later, it was acquired by the shipping company K.H. Hendriksson in Stockevik. A Jönköpings two-stroke engine was installed, and from then on the motor schooner travelled the Baltic and North Sea as the cargo ship "Merry" for 30 years.
In the autumn of 1955, she was stranded on the Swedish west coast in a severe hurricane. The wreck is salvaged, repaired and relaunched as the one-and-a-half-masted galley "Rose Marie", temporarily in the Driftnet fishing off Iceland. In the 1960s, the ship, which now travelled exclusively under engine power, changed owners twice, and the "Rose Marie" became the "Merry" again.
At that time, the ship was destined for the Atlantic voyage: Salt is transported from Germany to the Río de la Plata in South America and cattle hides are taken on the return journey from there.
A new engine is installed.
From cargo ship to square-rigger
The ship's new life began in 1973, when it was bought by the British Anthony "Tiger" Timbs. Now begins a group of enthusiastic ship lovers to rig the ship as a brigantine. It takes almost four years to Restoration at the shipyard in Faversham / England. All work is carried out at great expense, with a lot of love and an eye for maritime aesthetics. The benches in the parlour come from a church and the fine wood for the interior was obtained by enthusiast Timbs during the demolition of a bank building. The new poles were previously used to line boreholes in the extraction of crude oil. The deckhouses are built from the robust teak of a former dance floor. Many details are made by hand.
On an expedition as the royal flagship
The result is a sailing jewel that is unrivalled anywhere in the world. From 1976, the two-master under its new name Eye of the Wind ready to embark on great adventures at sea. In a moment The first journey involves travelling around the globe. The world tour with stops in Australia, the South Seas and a rounding of the infamous Cape Horn is barely over in 1978 before the next challenge awaits the impressive tall ship: under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Charles (today: King Charles), the Eye of the Wind is given the honour, as the flagship of "Operation Drake" to lead. This almost two-year Expedition trip in the footsteps of the famous seafarer The Eye of the Wind's journey around the globe involves more than 400 different crew members during various stages. The changing crews of the Eye of the Wind come from 27 nations, but after a short time they already have one thing in common: they are Captivated by the soul and charisma of this ship.
Hollywood star and Oscar®-award winner Jeff
In this production, Bridges takes the helm of the Eye of the Wind as skipper. "Sailing on the Eye of the Wind was a thrill," he writes in a dedication.
Big appearance on the cinema screen
Its imposing appearance also attracts attention in the film industry, and so the tall ship crosses the waters several times on the film sets of major Hollywood productions. As in real life, the Eye of the Wind also braves wild storms in front of the camera, gets stranded, burns out and sinks. In the adventure film "The Blue Lagoon" (1980), the pirate film "Savage Islands" (1983), "Tai-Pan" (1986) and "White Squall" (1996), the ship serves as a backdrop.
Renowned Hollywood stars like Brooke Shields and the two Oscar®-award winner Tommy Lee Jones and Jeff Bridges take the helm of the ship. In the epic "Tai-Pan", based on the novel by James Clavell, the "sailing Hollywood diva" even plays a double role - that of the "Morning Cloud" with white sails and that of the "White Witch" with brown sails, which she still sails today.
Traditional sailing in the 21st century
In 1990, the Eye of the Wind accepted an invitation to the South Seas and took part in the celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the colonisation of Pitcairn Island, which was part of the well-known Mutiny on the "Bounty" had been discovered and used as a refuge. After a further Rounding of Cape Horn the tall ship then remained in service until the year 2000. as a sail training ship on all the world's oceans as a guest.
After the Participation in the Tall Ships Race 2000 a Danish entrepreneur acquires the ship and from then on undertakes private voyages from her home port of Gilleleje. The new owner completely restores the proud brig and equips her with state-of-the-art navigation technology and electronics. During the planning and refit, the maritime character as a traditional tall ship carefully preserved. Lots of teak, precious woods, brass and the use of other high-quality materials in the interior deck give the ship its unmistakable atmosphere.
as a brigantine with white sails.
An operating system for the rig is deliberately omitted: The sails with a total area of
750 square metres until today only by
set and retrieved using pure muscle power.
Travellers of all ages have the opportunity to practise traditional seamanship on board
always on a voluntary basis.
Since then, it has been used all year round for
Sailing holidays, exclusive charter opportunities and
high-quality management training programmes.
Awareness of the ship's unique history
will continue to be maintained.
Home port at the FORUM MEDIA GROUP
The brig only became accessible to the public again nine years later when the owner died unexpectedly and the fate of the magnificent sailing ship was initially unclear. On 1 April 2009, all fans of the Eye of the Wind can breathe a sigh of relief: their beloved sailing ship is reunited with its owner. at FORUM train & sail GmbHa subsidiary of the German FORUM MEDIA GROUP, a new home harbour.
In 2011, the two-master celebrates its 100th anniversary: On 30 April, the Eye of the Wind will be the flagship of the parade of tall ships at the opening of the Kaiserschleuse lock in Bremerhaven, where a new World record for the longest sailboat parade of all time. Read more about the 100-year history of the ship ...
Let your spirit set sail! The journey continues
The seaworthy and extremely seaworthy Eye of the Wind is not a ship that likes to lie in harbour. And so FORUM train & sail offers interested fellow travellers, who by the way welcome on board without previous sailing experience are always offering new attractive destinations. Whether it's a Caribbean cruise or Scandinavian summer sailing - the The crew of the Eye of the Wind will be happy to take you with them to new experiences at sea!
You can find a detailed and entertaining account of the entire history of the ship in the book Eye of the Wind - On the trail of a dream.
Fellow travellers can expect on the Eye of the Wind
a mixture of tradition and comfort on board.