On October 27, 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. The stopover started with a very well attended welcome ceremony, and was followed by busy days with thousands of visitors. We want to thank Barcelona for the very warm welcome!
Barcelona is our winter stopover, and we will stay until March 2023. During this stopover we will focus a lot on preparations for the Asia Expedition, and it is possible to join us as a volunteer on board to work with the maintenance of the ship. We will also be open to visitors on weekends. Welcome on board!
We had an early arrival to Barcelona, with gun salute outside the city at 09:00 am and arrival at 10:00 am. After arrival we were proud to host a welcome ceremony of more than a hundred guests. We were very honoured to have Swedish Ambassador to Spain Teppo Tauriainen, Honorary Consulate General of Sweden in Barcelona Sofia Geli Stenhammar and Sr. Don Albert Batlle, Sr. Quinto Teniente de Alcaldía de Prevención y Seguridad del Ayuntamiento de Barcelona, among the guests. Thank you to everyone who came on board!
The first six days after arrival were official stopover in Barcelona, and what a great start it was! We had a lot of media interest, keeping the Spanish speaking members of our crew very busy. Thousands of visitors also came on board to see the ship and hear about the history of the ship and the expedition this year.
Barcelona is our winter stopover, which means we will stay in Barcelona until March 2023. During this period we will do a lot of maintenance work in preparation for the voyage to Asia next year. Work is being done on the hull, sails and rig, and as always our thousands of tonnes of hemp need to be tarred.
During this period we will also be open to visitors most weekends. Opening hours and dates, at the moment four hours on both Saturdays and Sundays, will be posted continuously on our website and on social media. We are extremely happy to be able to stay in this great location, and are looking forward to greeting many visitors to the ship in the coming months.
During our winter stopover, we are also welcoming volunteers on board, to work with the maintenance of the ship. The main job will be caulking outside of the hull, above the water line. We will also be re-tightening the wooldings of the bowsprit and other jobs will also be taking place. And of course, a lot of taring of the standing rigging to preserve it from rain and sun is necessary.
Greencarrier och Göteborgs Stad är överens om att vilja skapa en långsiktig hemvist för Ostindiefararen vid Masthuggskajen. Målet är att fartyget ska spela huvudrollen i ett nytt historiskt upplevelsecentrum som ska stå klart 2031, och bidra till ett mer levande kajstråk nära Järntorget.
During the evening we will be joined by Mats Berggren, who during the construction period represented the Swedish Maritime Administration as a determined and persistent inspector, and Marie-Louise Edholm, who took part in building the rigging, has sailed with the ship, and has been responsible for the maintenance of the rig. You will gain insight into traditional craftsmanship, material choices, and the many challenges involved in combining historical authenticity with modern safety and operational requirements. If you were involved during this period, perhaps you have a story of your own to share. We would love to hear it! About halfway through the lecture, coffee and pastries will be available for purchase. All proceeds will go directly toward the re-rigging of the ship. Registration is free of charge. Please register by emailing: vanner@gotheborg.se A warm welcome! The Friends of East Indiaman Götheborg Association
Following growing interest in the future of the East Indiaman Götheborg, Greencarrier now presents detailed plans for a new permanent quay location and an adjacent experience center at Masthuggskajen in Gothenburg. The ambition is to create a new destination in the city ahead of the 300th anniversary of the Swedish East India Company in 2031. The first vision images are now being presented.