Contact

Postal address:
Rederij Bark EUROPA
P.O. Box 23183
NL-3001 KD Rotterdam
The Netherlands

Email: info@barkeuropa.com
Tel.: +31 10-281 0990
Fax: +31 10-281 0991

Travel Experiences

Do you want to share your experience on EUROPA with other future trainees?

We would be happy to post your message on our website so trainees know what to expect of their voyage. Your email would be highly appreciated.
 

From the crew we've learned it is possible to do anything two ways, whether a 52 day ocean voyage or and hour long work meeting. You can do it with dignity, kindness and good humour or with ruthless ambition, self-interest and greed, allowing the world to sweep you away like a Southern Ocean wind. A simple choice really, there are no promises - the effort brings its own reward.

Chris

I have been on other tours in other places (Peru, Africa) and you all do an excellent job. I feel this trip was definitely worth every penny and i recommend it to all my friends.
Beth

It was a pleasure to meet you and to have the opportunity to sail with you.  Jim and I want to thank you and the entire crew for a great trip, the trip of a lifetime, really. It was perfect: the sail across the dreaded Drake, opportunities to learn from the guides, new discoveries every day, the extremely professional crew, the delicious food and the good friends we made aboard.  Each day was an adventure and a new discovery.  I can't imagine traveling to Antarctica any other way. Thank you all so much.
Karen and Jim. 26 januari 2011.

August 21st 2010.  I was a guest / trainee on board Europa for the Green Bay to Muskeegon run.  I would like to thank you for a wonderful experience.  I was expecially impressed by Captain Klaus - obviously a very competent seaman.

I would like to praise a few of the individual crew members who made the trip even better.  First Andy, who was a very congenial and interesting fellow whether showing us the ropes or pouring us a drink.  He is a ships treasure and his love of his job and the Europa made him a favorite among the guests. Also crewman Collin was always ready with a smile and eager to answer questions that he has been asked a thousand times.  My trip to the mast head with him will remain a lifetime memory.  Also crewman Matt was much the same - doing more than needed.  I enjoyed his class on sails and rigging. Cristine was also a very special crew members - making the guests feel welcome.  Her cheerfulness even when tired was welcome to us all.  One afternoon she instructed those interested how to make a Turks Head Bracelet.  It was a big hit with the guests and relieved some of the boredom. And I almost forgot Sirius the ships dog - everyone loved him. Long Live Sirius.

I do not mean to detract from the rest of the crew - they were all very good and worked very hard! I enjoyed my trip very much and hope to see Europa again. Many happy voyages to you all.

Joe

From July 11 thru July 15 2010 my family of 4 had the pleasure of sailing on your wonderful ship. Everyone on the crew was just wonderful, professional and friendly. The ship was clean and very well maintained. I want to praise the entire crew. Captain Vos was wonderful and the crew all admire him and they all do you well. The 4 of us have never had abetter vacation and we a alreay planning another trip on the Europa with other families joining us.  Thank you for providing the ship for passage and we will be on board again with several of our friends.
David
 

The moment I set foot on the vessel in Ushuaia harbour, I was greeted in the most friendly fashion by members of the crew who rushed up to meet me, and insisted on taking my back-pack, saying I had carried it far enough !  This was followed  by an equally warm welcome from the two guides.
I was taken down to my cabin, with cheerful greetings from the crew members we passed on the way.  I knew the cabin would not be luxurious, and found it perfectly adequate for my needs in every way.
The friendly atmosphere generated by crew and guides transmitted itself to the trainees, and we were transformed into a very happy family from the start.
Lewis
 

This is just an word to say how much I enjoyed the Antarctica trip from Feb4th -26th.  I've been home a couple of weeks now and am still smiling with the memory of it all.  All the crew were great, I felt really happy and confident with everything they did and sailing in Europa was just brilliant.  As for Antarctica, I have just had some of my photos printed and can't really believe that a) I was there, and b)just how beautiful it is..just breathtaking...and memories for a lifetime.
Jinks

I wish to thank all of you for your kindness and care and never ending effort to make this trip a fantastic one! I am really moved by the way you all take care of all the trainees during the voyage and in everything you do.
Thanks again ,
Marianne

This was my first opportunity to sail on a square rigger. I found the entire experience beyond my best expectations. The friendliness and helpfulness of the entire crew was outstanding. I will recommend this trip to family and friends! Bravo Zulu!
Walt

Back from the voyage! It was wonderful!!! The Crew on the Europa from Charleston to Boston were some of the greatest people I have ever met. All were so kind and very helpful and they really know there stuff. I cant say enough good things about the whole adventure when I tell people. I believe it has much to do with the ship I chose, she is truly beautiful and the Crew complements her. Thanks again for everything and to all involved.
Warm regards,
Mary

Our skipper, Klaas, asked me to write something about our passage from Ascension Island to Bermuda, so I asked the crew members what they most remembered. Here are some of the things that they said:

Swimming with the dolphins
The days of fast sailing (more than 2 weeks!)
Making the ship even more beautiful than she alreadly was
The laughter
The equater crossing (which was a truly disgusting ceremony)
Tanning those meats, man (Marius, a South African engineer, referring to the BBQ off Ascension Island}
The nights - watching the masts moving amongst the stars
The laughter
Running with the trade winds
The moments when the silence of the ship, the sea and the sky silence the people
Hearing the ship singing in the wind
The wind - an engine for the world
The crew - what a brilliant atmosphere
The fishing (we only caught one, and that jumped off the hook before we landed it) - but what a lot of laughter!!
Hearing the laughter
And Klaas, who told me to write something? He said "Just being at sea, man. No officials, no-one to tell you what to do!"

The Phoenicians had a proverb: "days spent at sea are not deducted from your allotted life span".

I believe them
Richard