Wylde Swan is the largest topsail schooner in the world

Topsail schooner Wylde Swan

Wylde Swan is the largest topsail schooner in the world. She combines the beauty and speed of large sailboats with the manoeuvrability of smaller yachts. She navigates well in crosswinds and sharp courses and has excellent sailing characteristics.
She has excellent sailing characteristics and navigates well in crosswinds and sharp courses.

The Wylde Swan was built in 1920 at the Howaldswerke shipyard in Kiel, Germany, and was designed as a steel-hulled motor trawler without sails. This type of trawler was designed specifically to return quickly to port with the catch of fish. Speed was its major competitive advantage.

By the end of the 20th century, the famous Dutch shipwright William Sligting saw the vessel. Following a technical audit, he came to the conclusion that she was suitable for conversion into a sailing ship, so in 2001 he bought her and began an extensive refit. By 2010 all the work was finished and the following year Wylde Swan was the overall winner of the Tall Ships Races and received the International Friendship Prize - for the greatest contribution to international friendship and camaraderie during the races.

The programmes on the Wylde Swan are designed not only to teach people how to sail, but also to teach them skills that will last a lifetime: a sense of unity, endurance, discipline and  leadership. The main purpose of the ship and its crew is to educate people.

Description

Accommodation

Accommodation onboard is in two sections: a spacious one (for 16 people) and a smaller one (for 10 people). Men and women stay together, but each has their own compartment with a shelf for personal belongings, a socket and a lamp - a little like a capsule hotel. There is also a separate section for classes, meals, films and cultural events.