Book Fair at Svenska Mässan
We will have a booth at the Book fair at Svenska Mässan from Thursday to Sunday this week. On Friday and Saturday, we will have two of our authors with us signing their books. Stop by and say Hi!
Previous expeditions
Year 2005–2006
The expedition to China
On October 2, 2005, it was finally time for the ship to leave the homeport of Gothenburg and sail its virgin voyage to China. Wherever in the world Götheborg would lay, it attracted attention. The success became bigger than anyone had ever dared to hope for.
The journey
Sunday, October 2 was a lovely warm day, ideal for a historic departure. At 1:47 pm, the ship that could not be built began her long voyage that could not be completed. More than 33,000 nautical miles lay ahead. Construction hardships and tremendous obstacles lay astern.
Götheborg majestically headed along the river, escorted by a crowd of accompanying boats and watched by tens of thousands of people along the shores and quaysides. The big adventure could begin.
This is a brief summary of Götheborg’s voyage to China 2005–2007. The ship followed the same route the East Indiamen took during the glory days of the 18th century. The same winds that blew then, blow also today.
Cadiz
After 48 days at sea, Götheborg of Sweden arrived at her first stopover, the historic port of Cadiz. She was the starting ship for the Volvo Ocean Race. She also hosted many official receptions and sponsor events at her stopovers. In Cadiz, like everywhere else, the ship attracted great interest and extensive media attention, just as planned.
Recife & Cape Town
After nine days, Götheborg of Sweden took a southwest course to Recife in Brazil, a journey that took 32 days. After a week filled with official commitments and stocking up with provisions, the ship set sail for Cape Town. With the help of the west winds, the voyage took 41 days across the Atlantic. On February 19, Götheborg arrived in one of the world’s most beautiful harbours for ship maintenance, sponsor activities, and official commitments. There was also a change of ship crew here.
Port Elizabeth, Fremantle & Jakarta
Between March 9 and 25, Götheborg made a very high-profile stopover in Port Elizabeth and then set sail for Fremantle. This was the longest leg of the expedition that, with the help of strong west winds, took 49 days.
After Fremantle, the voyage continued northward towards the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. After passing both the equator and Christmas Island, the ship moored at Jakarta on June 18. Ten days later she sailed the South China Sea towards Guangzhou (Canton). In mid-July, the ship finally reached the mouth of the Pearl River, the Tiger’s Mouth.
Guangzhou (Canton)
After folding the masts for power cables and bridges, the ship reached its historic destination of Guangzhou (Canton) with great pomp and ceremony. The dream had come true, a complete success. The subsequent reception ceremonies on July 21 – attended by senior Chinese dignitaries, the King and Queen of Sweden, main sponsors and partners – were grandiose, to say the least.
Shanghai
After a few weeks of official receptions, press viewings, exhibitions, and sponsor activities, Götheborg of Sweden continued northward through the Formosa Strait to Shanghai. The long, adventurous home voyage to Gothenburg began on October 28, 2006.
Hong Kong & Singapore
Before the voyage home, maintenance was carried out on the ship at a shipyard outside of Shanghai. On October 28 she was ready and set sail. One month later she reached Hong Kong for a high-profile two-week stopover. On December 30 she reached Singapore, one of the world’s largest ports. After two weeks, a crew change and New Year’s celebrations it was time to continue the voyage home, which was now taking a slightly different route than the original.
Chennai
On January 31, 2007, Götheborg of Sweden reached Chennai, and hosted the largest trade event Sweden has ever held in India. 300 top Indian politicians along with crowds of people showed an interest in the ship and the little Scandinavian country. 25,000 delighted Indians were lucky enough to get a closer look at the ship on board.
Djibouti
On February 10, Captain Gunnar Silfverberg Utgaard had his crew set sail for the adventurous journey across the Indian Ocean, to the lowest profile stopover of the expedition in the desert town of Djibouti. It was time to stock up on provisions and change crew. The departure was logged for March 17.
Alexandria, Nice & London
The voyage went through the Red Sea and in convoy through the Suez Canal. The ship arrived in Alexandria on the morning of Saturday, March 31 for a visit on behalf of the Västra Götaland County. Three days later Götheborg set sail for Europe and Nice on the French Riviera. The ship arrived in Nice on April 17 for an eight-day stopover before heading for the tenth stop, London.
Götheborg of Sweden reached the British capital on May 19. After two intensive weeks of official visits, sponsor activities, exhibitions, and viewings, the course was finally set for the North Sea and the homeport of Gothenburg.
Gothenburg
The final leg took 7 days and on Saturday, June 9, the now world-famous vessel was sighted off Vinga. It had been over 250 years since a Swedish Ship had saluted her homecoming. Needless to say, the reception by the city and the people of Gothenburg was worthy of a global star.
After 615 days at sea, 14 towns on 5 continents and 300,000 visitors aboard, the mission was complete. The project fulfilled an ambassadorial role for Swedish culture and trade, as well as opening up opportunities and doors for sponsors and partners. The ship that could not be built nor sailed was back with star status.
Stop overs
November 19th–November 28th 2005
Cadiz
December 30th 2005–January 10th 2006
Recife
February 19th–February 28th 2006
Cape Town
March 9th–March 25th 2006
Port Elizabeth
May 13th–May 25th 2006
Fremantle
June 8th–June 28th 2006
Jakarta
July 18th–August 19th 2006
Guangzhou (Canton)
August 29th–October 28th 2006
Shanghai
November 29th – December 12th 2006
Hong Kong
December 30th – January 14th 2007
Singapore
January 31st–February 10th 2007
Chennai
March 14th–March 17th 2007
Djibouti
April 1st–April 3rd 2007
Alexandria
April 17th–April 24th 2007
Nice
May 19th–June 2nd 2007
London
Year 2007
Swedish west coast tour
Shortly after the homecoming from China, Götheborg of Sweden went on a successful tour along the Swedish west coast. Many wanted to see the ship in real life and the journey became a triumph.
Highlights
After her homecoming from China, there was great interest Götheborg in Sweden. From July 1 to August 3, the ship went on a successful tour along the coast of Bohuslän and Halland. The west coast tour began in Marstrand, where the ship was a popular platform for partners during the Match Cup Sweden sailing race.
Thousands of people flocked to Uddevalla for the welcome ceremony, and for several days there were long queues to board the ship. The arrival in Grebbestad was during the ongoing Grebbestad Carnival. The planned three days turned into four due to strong winds. The most southerly stopover of the tour was Halmstad Marinfestival, where there were maritime activities and performances by artists. 5,400 visitors on board in one day was a new record.
In Skärhamn located on the west Tjörn Island, Frenchman Daniel Coppin became the lucky 50,000th visitor, and he got to sail with his family to Lysekil. There, Götheborg hosted the opening ceremony of the Lysekil Women’s Match sailing race.
Newspapers ran headlines along the lines of “Götheborg – a loving adventure that goes on”, “Thousands waited on the shore and in boats” and “Götheborg’s triumphal voyage”. With a total of 64,000 visitors aboard during the six stops, there was no doubt who the queen of the West Coast was that summer.
Stop overs
July 1st–July 9th 2007
Marstrand
July 9th–July 14th 2007
Uddevalla
July 15th–July 19th 2007
Grebbestad
July 20st–Jult 24th 2007
Halmstad
July 25th–July 30th 2007
Skärhamn
July 30th–August 3rd 2007
Lysekil
Year 2008
The Baltic Sea tour
The summer after the homecoming from China, Götheborg of Sweden went on a Baltic Sea Tour, with several stopovers along the Swedish South and East Coast. A total of 164,000 persons boarded the ship during this tour.
Highlights
On May 16, 2008, Götheborg of Sweden set sail for the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea Tour was comprised of four official stopovers – Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn and Visby – as well as a number of public stops along the Baltic coast. During the visits, public events and festivities were combined with trade-focused export activities.
Götheborg’s visit to Stockholm was a joint arrangement with the Vasa Museum and the Brig Tre Kronor under the theme of ‘Three Centuries of Flagships’.
On the evening of June 8, Götheborg of Sweden arrived at the South Harbour in Helsinki and was a starting point for a week packed with historic events, seminars and festivities linked to Helsinki Week.
On June 17-22 the ship visited the Estonian capital of Tallinn. The visit coincided with Tallinn’s Ocean Days, which were packed with maritime activities, music, and children’s activities. Just over six days later, on June 28, Götheborg of Sweden was the starting ship at Nynäshamn harbour for the Jubilee regatta, when classic yachts sail from Nynäshamn to Visby and back again.
Stop overs
May 22nd–May 25th 2008
Norrköping
May 29th–June 6th 2008
Stockholm
June 8th–June 16th 2008
Helsinki
June 17th–June 22nd 2008
Tallinn
June 24th–June 26th 2008
Åbo
June 28th–July 1st 2008
Nynäshamn
July 4th–July 13th 2008
Visby
July 16th–July 17th 2008
Norrtälje
July 18th–July 21st 2008
Gävle
July 23rd–July 25th 2008
Sundsvall
July 27th–July 29th 2008
Örnsköldsvik
July 31st–August 3rd 2008
Luleå
August 15th–August 17th 2008
Kalmar
August 22nd–August 24th 2008
Karlskrona
August 29th–August 31st 2008
Ystad
Year 2010
Summer tour
The summer of 2010 offered a number of unforgettable moments. The greatest of these, however, was when all the Swedish governors and their guests celebrated the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel’s wedding aboard Götheborg of Sweden together with the Royal family.
Highlights
Götheborg of Sweden was in Stockholm to take part in the celebrations for the Royal wedding between Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and Mr Daniel Westling. The ship was also part of the Love Stockholm 2010 event.
‘Tordenskiöld Days’ in Fredrikshavn is a unique national festival held each year in memory of Scandinavia’s great maritime hero Peter Jansen Wessel Tordensköld. Frederikshavn is where the Great Northern War ended between Sweden and Denmark in 1717, and since then war has never been a threat between the two sister nations.
The next mission was to take part in Sail Amsterdam 2010. Almost 200 tall ships took part in the event, attended by some two million visitors. Together with the Dutch clipper Stad Amsterdam, Götheborg of Sweden took the lead in a long line of 6,000 boats headed for central Amsterdam.
The Summer Tour finished with the Sail Bremerhaven Boat Festival. It is one of the largest maritime festivals in Europe and takes place every five years. Over a million people stood along the waterside to watch the ships sail past.
Stop overs
June 14th - June 20th 2010
Stockholm
June 26th–June 28th 2010
Fredrikshamn
August 19th–August 23rd 2010
Amsterdam
August 25th–August 29th 2010
Bremerhaven
Year 2012
European tour
In the summer of 2012, Götheborg of Sweden visited three ports in the Netherlands, France and Germany. During the tour, the ship was the main attraction at several large maritime festivals and about 40,000 people visited the ship during the stopovers.
Highlights
On June 30, Götheborg of Sweden set sail towards Europe and the three stopovers of the tour – Den Helder, Brest and Bremerhaven.
Götheborg arrived at Brest on Friday, July 13, and with an eight-shot salute, she inaugurated the 20th edition of one of the largest maritime festivals in the world, Les Tonnerres de Brest. The festival is organized every fourth year and attracts almost one million visitors.
The ship got a great deal of attention all over Europe with nationwide television broadcasting from the ship in both France and Germany.
On August 3, Götheborg of Sweden arrived at the home port of Gothenburg after a very successful European Tour.
Stop overs
July 5th–July 7th 2012
Den Helder
July 13th–July 19th 2012
Brest
July 25th–July 29th 2012
Bremerhaven
Year 2013
European tour
For the second summer in a row, Götheborg of Sweden headed out on a European Tour. During the four-month-long tour, the ship visited nine countries and fifteen cities around Europe. Among other events, the ship took part in the Tall Ships Race 2013 and the French maritime festival Lármada De Rouen, one of the largest maritime festivals in the world that are visited by over ten million people.
Highlights
On Monday, May 6, Götheborg of Sweden cast off and head out on the four-month-long adventure, European Tour 2013. During the summer the ship participated in everything from small festivals to royal celebrations.
During the tour, Götheborg attended several events including the National Day celebrations in Oslo and the 600-year anniversary celebration of the city of Landskrona.
On July 7, the Tall Ships Race started, the world’s largest international race for sail training ships. Over one hundred ships from all over the world gathered in Århus in Denmark for a joint departure to Falsterbo, where the start of the first race leg took place. Together with the Russian ship Shtandart the East Indiaman Götheborg conducted a unique naval battle that also was the inauguration of the Tall Ships Race festival in Århus. The entire race lasted a month and the finish line was in Szczecin in Poland.
Götheborg of Sweden arrived at her homeport of Gothenburg on September 7, after a very successful tour in Europe. Over 100,000 people visited the ship during the summer and the ship was the main attraction at several major maritime festivals throughout the four-month-long tour.
Stop overs
May 8th–May 9th 2013
Tönsberg
May 11th–May 13th 2013
Moss
May 13th–May 19th 2013
Oslo
May 24th–May 26th 2013
Landskrona
June 6th–June 16th 2013
Rouen
June 20th–June 23rd 2013
Den Helder
June 27th–June 30th 2013
Kiel
July 4th–July 7th 2013
Århus
July 17th–July 20th 2013
Helsinki
July 25th–July 28th 2013
Riga
August 3rd–August 6th 2013
Szczecin
August 9th–August 11th 2013
Visby
August 16th–August 18th 2013
Örnsköldsvik
August 22nd–August 25th 2013
Luleå
August 30th–September 1st 2013
Norrtälje
Year 2015
European tour
In the summer of 2015, Götheborg of Sweden headed out on a three-and-a-half-months long tour, European Tour 2015. The tour lasted from early June to late September and included the completely unique Vänern Tour 2015. The ship visited a total of fourteen cities in five countries and had over 200,000 visitors on board.
Highlights
On June 4, Götheborg of Sweden cast off from the homeport of Gothenburg and headed for the first stopover of European Tour 2015, the Swedish National Day celebrations in Oslo.
In August, the ship was the main attraction at the major maritime festivals SAIL Amsterdam and SAIL Bremerhaven. In Amsterdam, Götheborg of Sweden had the honour to inaugurate the whole event with a traditional salute. During the festival, the ship had over 7,000 visitors onboard per day, which broke the old visitors' record from China.
During the ships’ stay in Amsterdam the Dutch national TV channel NPO 1 carried out live broadcasts on board during the evenings.
In June 2015, Götheborg of Sweden participated in the Volvo Ocean Race event in Gothenburg. The ship took part in the opening ceremony; it was belayed in the event area during the whole week and was the starting ship with cannon salute for the In-Port Race, which was the final race of Volvo Ocean Race 2015.
Götheborg became the ambassador for the Non-Violence Project Foundation during the tour, an international organisation with the goal to inspire, motivate, and engage young people to understand how to resolve conflicts without violence. A ceremony was held in conjunction with the ship’s arrival to Varberg. There, the Non-Violence Sculpture of Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd was presented to the ship by his wife, Tonie Lewenhaupt.
Saturday, September 12, Götheborg of Sweden arrived at her homeport of Gothenburg after a very successful tour. The interest in the ship was huge at the ports she visited and over 200,000 people visited the ship during the tour.
Stop overs
June 6th–June 8th 2015
Oslo
June 11th–June 14th 2015
Grebbestad
June 21st–June 28th 2015
Göteborg
July 3rd–July 21st 2015
Vänern Tour
July 26th–July 28th 2015
Kungshamn
July 30th–August 2nd 2015
Varberg
August 12th–August 16th 2015
Bremerhaven
August 19th–August 23rd 2015
Amsterdam
August 28th–August 31st 2015
Dover
September 4th–September 6th 2015
Greath Yarmouth
Year 2015
Vänern tour
In the summer of 2015, Götheborg of Sweden became the largest sailing ship that ever sailed in Lake Vänern during the three-week tour Vänern Tour. The tour was a huge success with an amazing reception in the five cities that the ship visited. In total, 46,000 people got on board to visit the ship and the quayside was transformed into a festival.
Highlights
Götheborg started the unique tour Vänern Tour on June 30, with the passage up the Göta River. Crowds gathered among the river and in the locks to get a look at the ship's passage. To get through the locks and under bridges and power lines the ship needed to withstand a maximum height and a maximum width. The topmasts were lowered and the yards were topped before the passage through the Göta River could begin. To rig up and down the ship is usually something that would take two weeks, but during the Vänern Tour we broke the record, and the work was carried out in one and a half days.
The ship visited five cities in Lake Vänern during the tour – Vänersborg, Kristinehamn, Lidköping, Karlstad and Åmal. In Karlstad, we set the record for visitors on board during the Vänern Tour, where 5,019 visitors boarded on one day.
Vänern Tour was a success. The quays turned into a festival with exhibitions, concerts and activities for both adults and children. Kristinehamn’s Director of Tourism, Mats Öhman pronounced at the ship’s arrival that the event was the biggest thing that had happened in Kristinehamn in modern times.
After the departure from Åmal, the last stopover on the Vänern Tour, Götheborg anchored in Vassbotten outside of Vänersborg to be rigged down before passage down the Göta River. During the day on July 23, the passage took place and the ship arrived at Gothenburg in the evening the same day. There she was anchored and rigged up again before continuing with the European Tour 2015.
Stop overs
July 3rd–July 5th 2015
Vänersborg
July 7th–July 9th 2015
Kristinehamn
July 11th–July 13th 2015
Lidköping
July 14th–July 17th 2015
Karlstad
July 19th–July 21st 2015
Åmål
Year 2021
Stockholm Tour
The 13th of August was a day to remember. For the first time since 2015 the ship headed out on an expedition; this year to Stockholm and back. This was an important part of the upcoming Asia Expedition. The ship had not left its home port for six years and a "test sail" was needed before heading out on the long sail to Asia.
Highlights
After a delayed start due to a crack in one of our yards, there wasn't a dry eye in sight when the ship was finally released from the tugboats and sailed under the bridge in Gothenburg harbour. It was equally amazing to witness the ship's arrival to Sweden's capital, Stockholm, where hundreds of people greeted her in port.
The sailing from Gothenburg to Stockholm took eleven days, and back to Gothenburg took nine days. On arrival to and departure from Stockholm we were followed by both boats and people on shore, and saluted the city in our special way. We moored at Skeppsbrokajen 105 from 26th of August until the 4th of September, before heading back.
The Stockholm Tour was a successful start to the Asia Expedition. The plan was to sail to Asia in 2022. However, in October 2022, the decision was made to extend the expedition to two years. This was decided in response to the great interest in the expedition start-up in 2021, and to manage the insecurities that still existed around the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in Asia.
Stopovers
August 26th–September 4th 2021
Stockholm
Year 2022
Asia Expedition
In 2022 Götheborg of Sweden completed a very successful expedition around Europe, making twelve different portstops. More than 50,000 people visited the ship, and close to 500 people experienced what it is like sailing on an 18th century ship while sailing as deckhands between the various ports.
Highlights
On the 8th of June 2022, Götheborg of Sweden departed on the great Asia Expedition. The plan was to sail in Europe in 2022, and stay in Barcelona for a longer winter stopover before continuing to Asia in 2023. For the first time since 2007, the ship would cross the Bay of Biscay and enter the Mediterranean, and there was big excitement on board in anticipation for the adventures ahead.
The first stop after Gothenburg was Helsingborg, where thousands of people gathered to greet the ship upon arrival and to visit her during the stopover. Helsingborg was followed by a Scandinavian capital tour, including visits to Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo.
After Oslo, a visit to another great capital waited: London. At arrival, thousands of people gathered along the quaysides to watch as the ship passed Tower Bridge. The interest in the Götheborg was huge, and thousands of people came to visit the ship at its mooring place in Canary Wharf. The stopover was also covered in all the big media, such as BBC London, BBC Radio, The Guardian, The Times, Financial Times, The Telegraph, The Evening Standard, and TimeOut Magazine, just to mention a few.
After two great stopovers in Bremerhaven and Lisbon, the ship sailed into the Mediterranean for the first time since 2007 and made a stop in Málaga. Next up was a stopover in Nice, which once again attracted amazing interest in the ship, with thousands of visitors and national media coverage. After Nice, instead of heading straight to Valletta as planned, the route was changed, and a stop in Monaco was added to the sailing schedule. Here, the ship had the honour of delivering a spectacular 2.4-meter-high elephant sculpture to H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, which was donated to him by The Perfect World Foundation.
After the stopover in Malta, Valletta, on October 27th, Götheborg of Sweden arrived to Barcelona and moored at one of the top locations in the city harbour: Port Vell/Rambla de Mar. The first weekend in Barcelona was the official stopover, with full crew, and the ship fully rigged. After that followed a winter period of maintenance, and the ship stayed in Barcelona until March 2023.
In November 2022, the decision was made to postpone the Asia Expedition and instead sail in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe in 2023. The reason was that China at the time still had strict Covid policies in place which made it very difficult to plan an expedition to Asia (read more here).
Stopovers
June 14th–June 17th 2022
Helsingborg
June 23rd–June 27th 2022
Helsinki
July 11th–July 14th 2022
Stockholm
July 21st–July 24th 2022
Copenhagen
July 28th–July 31st 2022
Oslo
August 8th–August 12th 2022
London
August 17th–August 21st 2022
Bremerhaven
september 5th–september 9th 2022
Lisbon
September 15th–september 20st 2022
Málaga
september 29th–october 6th 2022
Nice & Monaco
october 14th–october 18th 2022
Malta
October 27th–March 20th 2023
Barcelona
Year 2023
European Tour 2023
After staying the winter in Barcelona, the ship again in 2023 sailed in Europe. After leaving Barcelona the 20th of March, she visited Sète, Gibraltar, Jersey, Rotterdam and Hamburg, before returning to her home port Gothenburg the 2nd of June to officially start the celebrations of the city's 400-year jubilee. In total the ship visited nineteen ports during the 2022/2023 expedition, and more than 90,000 visitors were welcomed on board.
Highlights
Our first stopover in 2023 was beautiful Sète in the south of France, where we were invited by Escale à Sète. We were moored at Quay d'Alger, right at the heart of Sète, and it was a gorgeous stopover with thousands of visitors.
Next stopover was Gibraltar, were we spent a lovely Easter Weekend, before leaving the Mediterranean heading north across the Bay of Biscay. Next stopover was Jersey, where we took part in the Jersey Boat Show.
An unexpected boat rescue
Just before reaching Jersey, the Götheborg was involved in an unexpected boat rescue, that created attention across the globe. A small sailing boat lost it's rudder out at sea, and Götheborg answered the distress call.
For the sailors on board the sailing vessel, seeing the largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship turning up at the horizon was a very different experience. Or in the words of the sailors on the sailing boat: "This moment was very strange, and we wondered if we were dreaming. Where were we? What time period was it?"
Read the full story here.
After Jersey, we again sailed to a city that we had never visited before – Rotterdam! We were moored at the Holland Amerikakade in the Kop van Zuid neighborhood, and had fantastic days!
Hamburg was selected as a key stopover by our owner Greencarrier. We were moored at Überseebrücke in Mitte, and had several important corporate events onboard in addition to visitors from the public.
The 2nd of June, Götheborg returned to its home port to officially open the city's 400-year jubilee with gun salute, and to participate in the Jubilee Festival. More than 7,000 people visited the ship during the sunny days in Frihamnen. This marked the end of the European Tour 2023 and after the Jubilee Festival in Frihamnen in Gothenburg, the ship returned to Eriksberg, where it stayed open for visitors during summer 2023 as part of the 400-year celebrations.
Stopovers
March 23rd–March 27th 2023
Sète
April 6th–April 10th 2023
Gibraltar
April 27th–May 2nd 2023
Jersey
May 11th–May 14th 2023
Rotterdam
May 19th–May 23rd 2023
Hamburg
June 2nd–June 5th 2023
Gothenburg - Frihamnen
Latest news
Are you a bookworm and would like to join us at the book fair?
We will attend the book fair at Svenska mässan next week and are looking for volunteers to join us. Would you like to talk about the ship, sailing and books!
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