Tar weekend coming up!
Summer is over and the maintenance of our beloved ship is in need of some extra pair of hands! If you have time to spend, and love the dark and musky fragrance of tar?
Smoke, fire and craftsmanship when putting iron rings on new yard
Last week, we carried out some exciting work on Götheborg. We’ve made two new yards for the ship, a main yard and a fore yard. One of the final steps is to put on iron rings, that are used to fixate the joints of the yard. The work is done in the historically correct way; the same way these large riggs were built in the 18th century.
The rings are precisely measured to fit the exact place on the yard where it’s supposed to go. They are heated to 800 degrees Celsius in an oven, carried over on hooks to the yard, then pushed and pounded into place, and shaped with big sledgehammers. This involves fire, smoke and a lot of work. Finally, the rings are cooled down with water, which shrinks them, and fixates the different parts of the yard.
This is a rare piece of craftsmanship, as it’s only done when building new yards, bowsprits and masts. Götheborg is one of very few ships in the world that use this technique.
Do you want to know more about how it’s done, and why, this is explained by our bosun Marie-Louise Edholm in this video clip on Instagram.
Or there is a shorter version on Facebook.
Open on weekends in September 2023
Good news! We will extend the period that we are open to visitors in Eriksberg, Gothenburg. All through September 2023, we will stay open for guided tours on weekends. Opening hours will be 11:00–16:00 and tours will leave once an hour. Welcome on board the world's largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship!
Götheborg will attend Donsö Shipping Meet
At the end of August, Götheborg of Sweden will attend Sweden’s largest shipping event, Donsö Shipping Meet (DSM). It’s the first time that the ship will attend the event, and it is also the first time that Götheborg will moor at Donsö in the southern archipelago outside of Gothenburg.