Cape Town this week played host to one of the world’s best-looking ships – a 56m triple masted barque returning from an Antarctic expedition.
The Europa has more history swirling around her deck than there is south-easter in her mainsails, and is a popular addition to the Cape Town skyline. She is currently berthed at the V&A’s Jetty 2 after some maintenance work at the Waterfront’s synchro lift. With her towering masts and prominent prow she looks better suited to the 19th century than 2022, but her classic appearance belies her modern utility; she has two auxiliary engines to help her out of the Doldrums or when she needs to stick to a voyage schedule. But she still spends most of her time under sail.
Her current stopover follows a 50-day voyage from Ushuaia in Argentina, via South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha. She will soon set sail – literally – for the Netherlands.
Europa was built over a century ago, in 1911 at a shipyard in Germany, and was given a second lease on life in 1985 when on the verge of being scrapped, according to a bio published on AfricaPorts.co.za. A Dutch ship owner had her converted from a deteriorating “lightship” into a barque capable of accommodating 64 people, with a range of modern facilities.
She now serves as a training vessel and follows the old sailing routes. “The goal is to welcome people from all over the world and bring them all together on board,” said Leentje Toering, Europa spokesperson. “Despite modern safety, navigation and communication equipment, the simplicity of life on board is comparable to how it could have been like more than 100 years ago. A moment to disconnect from your daily life and it will give you an idea of the enormous pack of water that we will cross, where storms and high speeds will alternate with doldrums and slow progress.
“Instead of one day on a plane, it will take us a month and a half to cross the ocean,” Toering said.
In 2020 Europa completed her longest voyage after finding herself stuck in Ushuaia due to Covid restrictions. Instead of completing her voyage to Antarctica she had to return non-stop to the Netherlands with a crew of 19, a voyage of 84 days and over 9,750 nautical miles, according to AfricaPorts.co.za.V&A.
Waterfront spokesman Donald Kau confirmed the vessel was in port “for maintenance, sail repairs, new paint job and engine services”.
Europa is not the only maritime “eye candy” causing a stir in Cape Town. A new South African-built superyacht set sail from the V&A this week, bound for her new home in the Mediterranean. The 32m sailing yacht was made by Southern Wind, the fifth in a series of superyachts that rank among the most sought-after in the world.
Another recent visitor is the 98m research ship Meteor, also German-built, which boasts 20 onboard laboratories, including one fitted out for use as an aquarium.
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