 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Eye of the Wind |
| Operator | FORUM train & sail GmbH |
| Builder | C. H. Lühring Werft, Brake, Germany |
| In service | 1911 |
| Renamed | 1911 - 1924Friedrich, 1924 - 1926Sam, 1926 - 1955Merry, 1955 - 1960sRose Marie, 1960s - 1973Merry, 1973Eye of the Wind[1] |
| Homeport | Germany |
| Identification | |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Brigantine |
| Length | 40.23 m (132 ft) (LOA) |
| Beam | 7.01 m (23 ft) |
| Draft | 2.70 m (9 ft) |
| Propulsion | Sail, engine: 600 HP |
| Sail plan |
|
Eye of the Wind is abrigantine converted in the 1970s from the topsailschoonerFriedrich built in 1911 at the C. H. Lühring shipyard inBrake, Germany.
The schoonerFriedrich initially sailed in the South American hide trade. In 1923 she was registered in Sweden, under the nameMerry, and was used for transport in theBaltic andNorth seas and for fishing herring off the coast of Iceland during summer. In 1969, then stripped of her masts and sailing as a motor vessel, she was severely damaged in a fire that almost destroyed her.
In 1973 a group of sailing enthusiasts, including Anthony "Tiger" Timbs, who later became her Master, began rebuilding her atFaversham, England. In this restoration she was re-rigged as a brigantine by master rigger Wally Buchanan. After the restoration was completed she was given the nameEye of the Wind, inspired bySir Peter Scott's 1961 book. In October 1976 she set sail for Australia three years and eight months after her purchase by the new owners.
In 1978, she sailed fromPlymouth as the flagship ofOperation Drake, a 2-year sailing expedition, which brought her back to London in December 1980.
While under the care of Timbs the ship was commissioned for several film roles. During the filming ofTai-Pan, the film producers fitted her with a set of tan sails in order to be able to play two different ships. The tan sails were retained after filming.[2]
In 2001, she was taken over by a new owner and registered inGilleleje, Denmark. Her interior underwent substantial renovations. Also, the new owners decided to call her rig a brig. This was only a change of naming,the rig remained the same since the filming ofTai Pan.[clarify] In 2009 she was purchased by the Forum Media Group, Germany.
Eye of the Wind has been used for several film and television roles.