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Embarkation of the sailing ship Gratia

Yesterday it was time for us to join the sailing ship Gratia, a 30 metre long sailing ship from 1900. The ship belongs to the Swedish Cruise Club's Sailing School Foundation and we had the chance to try out a sailing course over a weekend. We will tell you more about the sailing school and all our experiences on board over the next few days. Here is a small picture bomb from the first day!

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Embarkation in Nynäshamn

We had been told that we would sign on in Nynäshamn on Friday afternoon, and took the commute south after work. Excitedly we looked around the harbour, and there she was. Wow! It not only felt like signing on to a ship, but also like signing on to another era.

Hamnen i Nynäshamn
The port of Nynäshamn - on the road to adventure
Gratia Nynäshamn
Here is Gratia waiting for us!

Meeting with officers and crew

Who would we meet on a sailing course like this? We had no idea... Now we know that there are a bunch of happy, positive and nice people on board.

The ship has a master, two mates, a trainee mate, two instructors, a cook, a trainee cook and a crew of 13 people, including Peter and me. The crew is a mix of young and old, women and men. Some are experienced sailors, while others (like me) have barely sailed before.

Gratia
Our Commander Fredrik in red trousers and some other members of the command team.
Claes och Britt
Claes and Britt in the crew

Calm weather and difficult words

All Friday evening we had calm and sunny weather. Maybe we could have had a little more wind in the sails, but on the other hand it was lovely in the sun. What about the sailing? It is really cool to be involved in hoisting and salvaging the sails on this old sailing ship. We in the crew get clear and good instructions, but oh boy, what a lot of difficult words ...

As I write this it is late evening, we have docked in Utö harbour and I am far too tired to remember any new sailing terms... We'll see if I can do better tomorrow! What are your sailing experiences?

Elin Gratia
Student helmsman Elin in the bow
Gratia segel
A guy in the crew up the mast ...
Theo och Moa
Theo and Moa in the crew check how things are going up the mast.

This sailing event was organised in cooperation with the Swedish Cruiser Club Sailing School Foundation. The texts, pictures and opinions are as usual our own.

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