Three tallships so far have yet to be officially announced, in attending the inaugural Dublin River Festival, which takes place this weekend, writes Jehan Ashmore.
To date, the same number of visiting vessels, formed by two tall ships from overseas and an Irish customs patrol cutter and as Afloat previously reported, are officially listed on the festival website, with opening times for free public tours taking place on Sir John Rogerson Quay. This, with the exception of the tallship, Maybe berthed at the North Wall Quay.
The largest of all the sail trainee vessels (STV), at almost 50 m long, the three-masted 86-year-old Swedish-flagged barquentine Gunilla, is also listed as open to public free-of-charge tours. All you have to do is simply just turn up quayside on the south of the Liffey and board the vessels on either day, between 12 noon and 6pm daily.
Gunilla was launched in 1940 as a long-haul motorsailer cargo ship; however, during the 1950s there was an exception in that it acted as a ferry boat, transporting people and cars to Öland, the second largest island off Sweden, located in the Baltic Sea. Followed by sailing with cargo until 1997, when it was completely rebuilt to start working as a STV.
Visiting Vessels Identified
At the time of writing, the festival mentions more visiting vessels yet to come, in which Afloat now reveals the identity of these tall ships too, as outlined below.
The Welsh-based Class B STV tallship Klevia, operated by Anglesey Traditional Sail, also offers unique charter sails on the Menai Strait. The Danish boat built in 1937 at Esbjerg had served as a career fishing vessel in the North Sea. The 20 m sailing vessel was restored and is traditionally rigged as a gaff ketch.
This 12-person licensed vessel, along with fleetmate, the schooner, Vilma, with 10 people, operates 3- or 5-hour cruise trips of the Menai Strait, and combined they serve parties of up to 22 persons. Currently, Klevia is underway in Moelfre Bay, Anglesey, having departed the north Wales mainland at Port Penrhyn, Abercegin, close to Bangor City, the oldest in Wales.
Another unannounced visitor is the rather notable Class B tall ship, Maybe, built in 1926 and also UK registered, and likewise, of Klevia is similar in length at 28 m. But what makes this gaff rig significant is that it took part in the first-ever International Tall Ships Race in 1956. This is an accolade that few boats can claim to have been the inaugural race to still be competing in the International Tall Ship Races, and rightly is a claim to fame!
Yesterday, Afloat tracked the tallship from Cork and onwards to anchorage in Dungarvan Bay, Co. Waterford, and from in the same county, it is currently offshore of Dunmore East.
It is a regular caller to Irish shores, given its STV partnership role with the Sail Training Ireland, which, as alluded to in previous coverage, uses the 45m barquentine Pelican of London, which is the longest visiting vessel. Likewise, the Klevia, the 1948-built Pelican, also served as a trawler but was based in Arctic waters, followed by its role trading as a coaster under the name Kadett until the mid-1990s before its conversion to its present-day role.
So next time, take a closer look at the distinctive black and white hulled vessel, which features a pelican figurehead close to its bowsprit.
