This voyage will be open for bookings from the 28th of March!
This is nice summer sailing! While it is high summer in the northern hemisphere, we enjoy a nice breeze and a wonderful sailing adventure from the Azores to Lisbon. After the roundtrip in the Azores, this two-week sailing trip will start when we set course for the Iberian Peninsula for the Magellan Elcano Tall Ships Race festivities in Lisbon. This trip is perfect to experience the ins and outs of life on board and learn more about sailing Bark EUROPA. As we get closer to Lisbon, we will see more and more tall ships joining us in the port of Lisbon.
Departure from Horta, Azores
Located on the island Faial, the sailors’ hub Horta offers picturesque cobblestoned streets and a spectacular view of Pico, the neighboring island which also happens to be the highest mountain in Portugal. After the roundtrip in the Azores, we stop once more in Horta for fresh supplies of fruit and vegetables after which the new voyage crew can embark on our journey north.
The journey from the Azores to Lisbon will start on the 20th of August in the afternoon and we will likely be setting sail the next morning. These first days you will have time to get to know your fellow travelers a bit more, to see the color of the watch (red, white, or blue) that you are assigned to and at what time your watch will start.
While for many on board, this will be their first time on an ocean voyage, others might have done similar voyages before. This mix of beginners and more experienced tall ship sailors creates a learning atmosphere on board, where each person can contribute in their own way to keep the ship sailing. During your watch, you will stand on look out, steer the ship and help with sail handling. Together with your fellow watch mates you will help the permanent crew with sailing the ship on her route to Lisbon.
Our journey North
Once everyone is on board, the adventure starts! You and your shipmates will immediately delve into the wonders of square-rigged tall ship sailing. It might take some time to learn all the ropes, each other’s names and getting used to the ship’s movement and daily life on board. There is plenty of time on this 13-day voyage to delve deeper into the arts of sailing, rigging, and navigation.
A world without internet or connection on your phone, living and working with people you have never met before: this is exactly what makes an ocean voyage on board EUROPA a life-changing experience. Life on board is a way to be completely disconnected from our hectic lives at home and gives you time to really connect with your fellow crewmates, yourself, and the moment. Without Google, you’ll turn to each other and books for information. People from all over the world, of different ages and with different walks of life come together and will surprise you with their knowledge on very diverse subjects. Together you will work as a team to keep the ship sailing on the right course.
While a flight from the Azores to Lisbon might only take approximately 2 hours, it will take us almost two weeks to get to the next port. It gives you an idea of time, time to admire your surroundings even more, and the beauty of nature. While you are on lookout, you will experience the all-encompassing nature. The endless mountains of water that appear and disappear around us, the feeling of being so vulnerable to the powers of nature, the indescribable beauty of sunrises and sunsets on the ocean, the millions of stars, animal life, and all shades of blue make an ocean crossing an unforgettable experience.
Live in the moment and enjoy the ship’s surroundings, people, and sound of the ship slowly making its way through the water. Completely disconnected from everything, you might find your true inner self, some real happiness, or just some relaxing time.
Arrival in Lisbon
Slowly we will be closing in on Lisbon, where we will join the other tall ships. This event will not only celebrate the tall ship fleet in itself but also the international friendships and exchanges among young people of different nationalities that characterize each tall ships event. Throughout the years, EUROPA and her crew have become famous for making spectacular harbor entrances, coming in under full sail long after other ships have taken away their sails and started their engines. The entrance to Lisbon will be no exception.
As we arrive in Lisbon and disembark after a spectacular sailing trip and enjoy the festivities of the Tall ships event in Lisbon as the perfect conclusion to the trip, you can rightfully consider yourself a full-fledged sailor and we hope you have made memories and friends for life.
Become a sailor on board Bark EUROPA
On board Bark EUROPA we call our guests voyage crew. This means that Europa’s permanent crew will train you to be a sailor. No experience is needed, our crew will learn you everything along the way. Unlike going on a cruise, on Bark Europa you will be going on a hands-on, active sailing adventure. You will be divided into three watches, red, white, and blue, named after the colors of the Dutch flag. You will be 'on watch' for four hours after which you have eight hours of free time.
During your four hours on watch there will be different tasks that will be divided between the members of your watch. There will always be two people on helm duty. The crew will explain how to steer the ship and what to look out for and together you will maintain a steady course on the helm. During the watch there will also be two people on look-out duty at all times. When you spot ships, buys, debris, or wildlife then this will be communicated to the officer of the watch.
The rest of the watch members will be on deck duty. The permanent crew will give you sail training and you will assist in all sail handling. This involves setting- and taking away the sails by hauling- and easing lines, climbing the rigging to furl or unfurl the sails. The crew will instruct you on how to work on deck and you will learn how to trim the sails to the direction of the wind. During deck duty, there is also time to assist the crew with maintenance tasks. This way you will learn how to work with traditional tools and methods, such as woodworking, sail making, celestial navigation, and traditional rope- and rigging work.
During your eight hours 'off watch', there is plenty of time to rest and enjoy the scenery. Whether you wish to do some quiet reading or write in your logbook in the library or prefer to enjoy an active role in the social life of the deckhouse: there is a place for everyone. In the deckhouse, you will also find the ships bar where you can enjoy a glass of wine with your fellow crewmates, play a board or card game, or just enjoy a good talk. The crew will be giving lectures on various subjects, from traditional sailor skills and knowledge to science and astronomy.
Of course, you can still assist the permanent crew and the voyage crew ‘on watch’ during your time off watch with sail handling and maintenance jobs. Sometimes the galley team asks for a hand with peeling potatoes or apples. Your off-watch time is for you to fill in, you may do as little or as much as you like.
Responsibility to care
Respect for the environment plays an important role in the philosophy of EUROPA and her crew. We hope to inspire our trainees to focus on everything that’s around them: not just a vast open ocean but a world on its own. We ask our voyage crew to listen to the sound of the ocean, the wind in our sails, and the peace and tranquility around us.
By conducting safe and environmentally responsible sailing voyages, we offer first-hand travel experiences to give our guests a better understanding of the ocean itself and the species that inhabit her. We hope that this way we inspire a group of ocean ambassadors all over the world.
For longer ocean crossings, Bark EUROPA welcomes scientists on board, carrying out their own research projects. We have been joined in the past years by oceanographers, astronomers, and marine biologists. The presence and knowledge of scientists on board are always highly appreciated by both our crew and trainees.
We show them the wonders of the ocean by inviting our international voyage crew to participate in the ocean research conducted on board. The researchers involve the trainees in their oceanographic research through presentations, organizing special onboard exhibits, discussions, and hands-on trawling work.
By working together with universities and other institutions we hope to connect the scientific world with our world at sea, to bring scientific knowledge to a wider audience, and help to create more awareness of the state of the oceans and the polar regions. Together with researchers, universities, and companies, we have been able to collect solid data in recent years. Building a database requires a great deal of effort over several years and we are happy to make every effort as a platform for collecting this data.