Chilean Navy Tall Ship Esmeralda visits Sydney Harbour on World Circumnavigation

07-Jun-2012
The Chilean Navy training vessel, the 4-masted barquentine Esmeralda, is set to visit Sydney Harbour as part of her world circumnavigation cruise. She will be met at the Heads by Sydney’s own Tall Ship, the barque James Craig, owned by Sydney Heritage Fleet and one of their 5 fully restored & operational 100 year old-plus fleet of irreplaceable vessels of maritime heritage significance including the 1902 “steam twins”, the launch Lady Hopetoun and tug Waratah, the 1903 schooner, Boomerang and the 1908 small ferry Protex.

Esmeralda is scheduled to arrive at 8.00AM on Tuesday the 19th June from Wellington, New Zealand and will be escorted up the harbour to her berth at Garden Island by James Craig and one of Sydney Ports’ two Fire Tugs. She will stay at Garden Island for 5 days during which time she will be open for public inspection. She will depart for Brisbane on the 24th June and will again be escorted by James Craig. Members of the public are invited to take part in these two harbour cruises aboard James Craig and can do so by ringing the Fleet’s office on 02 92983888 or by going to their website at www.shf.org.au Also there to greet Esmeralda will be one of Sydney’s two fire tugs and it’s also possible that she will fire a 21-gun salute as she enters the harbour.

Esmeralda was launched in 1953 and serves the Chilean Navy as a sail training vessel. Her voyage will take her 260 days to complete as she visits 14 ports around the world carrying 337 crew under the command of Captain Luttges Mathieu including one Australian, Sub-Lieutenant James Feathers who will disembark the cruise when the ship visits Brisbane after leaving Sydney.

James Craig, Sydney’s third icon, ranking alongside the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, and one of only four 19th Century Tall Ships still sailing, is a wonderful example of the expensive art of heritage ship restoration and operation. She was launched in 1874 as Clan Macleod and in that life the ship visited Valparaiso, Esmeralda’s home port, on 5 occasions, her first in April 1877 where she loaded wheat for her home port in Sunderland UK. In this way there is a wonderful and close relationship between these two beautiful ships from another era and between Chile and Australia. People sailing on James Craig to welcome Esmeralda, and to see her depart, will be able to capture memories to last a lifetime.

Bookings for these 2 cruises are essential as they are likely to sell out fast.
For more information:
www.shf.org.au