Cargo Sail in 2025?

Can answering such a question be named either obsolete or cool? Well after a conservative and reluctant approach few years ago i cannot admit that i have turned to a true believer.

Ok, theory is great and online approach on the matter seem cool, how about getting to know things in a hands on approach then? Having the chance to step on a sail cargo ship nowadays is not something found often hence you cannot miss it once appearing. Recently the unique Brigantine ‘TRES HOMBRES’ called at Boca Chicca in Dominican Republic to load her last part of organic cargo bound to Europe, a chance to visit her could not be lost whatsoever.

The 32m wooden hull, built in Germany back in 1943 as a minesweeper and converted only recently to sail cargo, visited Dominican Republic as her last one of Caribbean Ports on her annual round between North Europe and Caribbean. Captain Artur Petrie and his crew were happy to brief us on this different cargo ship and show us around how can cargo be moved across an ocean under sail only.

She can carry up to 50m3 or 40MT of dry cargo on her sole cargo hold that once in view of stuck barrels, sacks and boxes cannot but find yourself in a Hollywood movie scenery or a live museum if you prefer. Can cargo be moved across an Ocean alike in 2025? Yes it can and seen it differently, why couldn’t it?

In actual terms she is a respectively small cargo ship, sailed by 15 men and women half of which are being paid as a permanent crew and half of that pay for training themselves in real traditional heavy sailing environment.

She has her proud dedicated partners to collaborate with, that book her cargo space to move their products in the most efficient environmental wise way and this is not marketing view but a true belief in values. She is ran sustainably and traditionally all along, without any electric run device onboard apart of the bridge electronics and an emergency pump. No autopilot, no propulsion engine, no pumps, no gear, It is all hand driven..

And is she profitable? well it seems that she is if she continues to run this business for the last 18 years completing the 16th round across Atlantic while as well moving cargo internally between European ports in the meantime.

Returning back to my Mediterranean background and reality i once again consider the option to run such a thing in my home waters as my grandfather did half a century ago.

The difficulty level presume would be multiplied as apart of the special sailing wind related restrictions met in Aegean Sea, someone would have to face the monster of bureaucracy and hostility against anyone, that Greek status is famous for.

So what could we conclude after this special visit?

Firstly a huge bravo and hats off to those unique people that dared to turn this in reality succeeded to the ones running her under such conditions, it is pure seamanship guys.

Then the dreamer’s decease hits and somewhere there typing has to stop if you don’t want to remain in history for promises made and not turned to actions.

For the time being, TRES HOMBRES is underway to the Azores bound to Amsterdam, fair seas Capt Artur, may we cross routes again in sight one of another..