 SV Tradewind in Sydney Harbour 1990 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Netherlands | |
| Name | Sophie Theresia |
| Builder | Van der Vuijk shipyard, Capelle aan de IJssel, Netherlands |
| Launched | 1911 |
| Renamed | 1952, toAaltje en Willem |
| Fate | Sold toNew Zealand owner in 1986 |
| Notes | Initially a herring lugger, later used as a coastal trader |
 New Zealand | |
| Acquired | ByNew Zealander Mark Hammond in 1986 |
| Renamed | Tradewind |
| Fate | Sold toFinnish owner in 1993 |
| Notes | Used for charter voyages in the South Pacific |
 Finland | |
| Acquired | By Christian Johansson ofFinland in 1993 |
| Fate | Sold to Dutch owner in 1998 |
| Notes | Used for charter voyages in theBaltic Sea andNorth Sea |
| Netherlands | |
| Acquired | ByDutchman Kees Rol in 1998 |
| Renamed | 1998, toSodade |
| Acquired | ByDutchman private owner in 2004 |
| Renamed | 2004, back toTradewind |
| Acquired | ByDutchman Floris de Waard in 2014 |
| Status | Currently being rebuilt under RH class. |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | herring lugger, later topsail schooner |
| Tonnage | 195 tons (displacement) |
| Length | 37 metres (121 ft) |
| Beam | 6.85 metres (22.5 ft) |
| Draft | 2.95 metres (9 ft 8 in) |
| Propulsion | Caterpillar 3408 diesel: 440 shp |
Tradewind is a Dutch topsailschooner. She was built in theNetherlands in 1911 as a herringlugger namedSophie Theresia.
Sophie Theresia[citation needed] was built in 1911 byVan der Vuijk shipyard,Capelle aan de IJssel, Netherlands.[1] She is 37 metres (121 ft) inlength overall, with a beam of 6.6 metres (22 ft), and a draught of 2.9 metres (9 ft 6 in).[2] The hull was constructed from riveted steel plates, with wooden decking andketch rigging.[1] The vessel originally operated out ofKatwijk, fishing the North Sea.[1] An engine was fitted in the 1930s.[1] The vessel was refitted for cargo carrying in 1957, with hold hatches widened and a new engine fitted.[1] She was renamedAaltje en Willem,[citation needed] and carried cargo between the Netherlands and several small North Sea ports.[1]
In the 1970s, the ship was taken out of service.[1] She was initially converted into a houseboat.[1] In 1979, ownership changed hands, andAaltje en Willem was refitted into a steel-decked schooner.[1] She reentered service in 1984, but there was only occasional charter work over the next two years.[1] In 1986, the ship was sold again, to New Zealander Mark Hammond.[1] The ship was re-rigged as a gaff-rig square-topsail schooner.[1] On completion, the ship had a mast height of 31.1 metres (102 ft), and a sail area of 530 square metres (5,700 sq ft).[2] RenamedTradewind, but retaining her Dutch registry, the ship sailed in early 1987 to England to join theFirst Fleet Re-enactment Voyage: a historical re-enactment for theAustralian Bicentenary.[1] She left England for Australia in May 1987, and sailed with the fleet viaTenerife,Rio de Janeiro,Cape Town,Mauritius, andFremantle before arriving in Sydney onAustralia Day (26 January) 1988.[3]
Tradewind remained in the South Pacific during the late 1980s and early 1990s, based in New Zealand. She was used for charter cruises to thesubantarctic islands south of New Zealand, theAntarctic Peninsula and around Fiji. During this period, she appeared in the romance adventure filmReturn to the Blue Lagoon. Returning from one of the voyages to the subantarctic islands,Tradewind ran into a storm south of New Zealand and was struck by arogue wave.[4][unreliable source?] The radar, situated 14 metres (46 ft) above thewaterline, was carried away and the charthouse was flooded. The ship was knocked down, with the mastheads in the water, but righted itself. Only one crew member, thehelmsman, was on deck at the time the wave struck. He saved himself from being washed overboard by thrusting his arms through the spokes of the wheel, although he was injured.
In late 1991,Tradewind left New Zealand to sail around Cape Horn to join the tall ship fleet sailing from Europe to America in commemoration of the 500th anniversary ofChristopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. During the voyage to join the tall ship fleet, she visited theAntarctic Peninsula and theFalkland Islands. After the Columbus celebrations in 1992,Tradewind returned to England, where she was sold to a Finnish owner. She was used for charter cruises around the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.
In 1998,Tradewind was sold to a Dutch owner and renamedSodade. She was refitted and used for charter cruises in theCape Verde Islands. By 2003, the condition of the ship had deteriorated and she was laid up in the island of Sal. In late 2003, she was taken over by another Dutch owner to save her from a horrible fate on the Cape Verde Islands. She was sailed to and refitted in theCanary Islands. After this refit, she was renamedTradewind again. In early 2004, the ship made an Atlantic crossing to the Caribbean, and return via the Azores, the Baltic and eventually back to the Netherlands
In 2006 under the care of Stichting Loggerbehoud Nederland a complete refit started again. She was going to be rebuilt under RH class for worldwide service, but the project was abandoned. In 2014 Dutch shipmaster Floris de Waard bought what remained of theTradewind.