This Saturday, the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation continues with our 17th year of training new volunteers to sail this venerable icon of Delaware. We are always seeking more volunteers to join this class! There’s no sailing experience required to join this community of people ages 18 and up (or 14-17 with a parent/guardian).
Kalmar Nyckel sails with the help of hundreds of volunteers who serve as sailing crew/deck hands. “Those who join us for the 10 week class will learn to sail this magnificent tall ship, including how to tie knots, safely handle lines and set square-rigged sails the way it was done 375 years ago,” says Captain Sharon, Kalmar Nyckel’s Port Captain. Once trained, volunteers are able to crew Kalmar Nyckel on day trips or weeks-long adventures up and down the East Coast. They can also help support the ship with land-based work in Wilmington and share what they learn with students of all ages.
Classes started on the Jan. 11th, but registration continues this weekend Jan, 18th, from 9 am to 4:30 pm (come at 8:30 on the first day!) for nine more Saturdays through April 5. There’s a $50 materials fee, a $35 drug testing fee (test required by the Coast Guard) and a $10 background check fee. After the class is successfully completed, 40 hours of volunteer work are required prior to sailing.
Learn more about the crew training opportunity on-line at http://www.kalmarnyckel.org. E-mail captainsharon@kalmarnyckel.org to sign-up. There will be a session on Thursday night at 6-9pm for anyone joining on the 18th to get caught up with what we did on the 11th. This Thur. night session is optional.
Kalmar Nyckel is an authentic re-creation of a 17th-century Dutch vessel, one of America’s pioneering “Tall Ships” that brought some of the earliest permanent settlers to the colonies. Her historical significance mirrors that of the Mayflower. The originalKalmar Nyckel sailed from Sweden to the New World in 1638, leaving her passengers to establish the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley, at Fort Christina in present-day Wilmington, Delaware.
The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation preserves and promotes the cultural and maritime heritage of Delaware for the education and enrichment of all.