The fastest in the world - again!
The fastest in the world - again!
Statsraad Lehmkuhl has been named the world's fastest tall ship in 2022. This is the ninth time Lehmkuhl wins The Boston Tea Pot Trophy.
The winning voyage took place in the Atlantic Ocean during a voyage with the Norwegian Naval Academy in January last year. Lehmkuhl had just emerged from a severe storm off the east coast of the United States and was heading for the Azores.
«After we had "ridden off" the blizzard that caught us off Nova Scotia, we had a strong and stable sailing wind towards the Azores», says captain Marcus Albert Seidl.
«The experience was like all the previous Boston Tea Pot voyages, namely extra exciting."
Tall ships all over the world compete every year for the coveted Boston Tea Pot Trophy. The prize goes to the ship that covers the greatest possible distance during 124 hours under sail. Within the 124-hour limit, Statsraad Lehmkuhl sailed 1,125 nautical miles.
«It is undoubtedly a stamp of quality for the ship and a feather in the sailor's cap to the crews involved, who carried out such a fast voyage without damage to either people or material. We are all proud to have been involved in the achievement of course», Seidl says.
This is the ninth time that Lehmkuhl can bring the trophy home to Bergen. She also holds the length record of 1,548 nautical miles, which gives an average speed of 12.48 knots.
«The reason Statsraad Lehmkuhl has won this award nine times is simply because she is a solidly rigged sailing vessel with fine lines. With an underwater hull length of nearly 75 metres, a weight of 2,500 tonnes and a high freeboard, she withstands very well the stresses that arise in strong winds and rough seas.»
It is the ships themselves that report their distance sailed to Sail Training International. Lehmkuhl's winning voyages have all taken place in the Atlantic, but Seidl emphasizes that they do not actively seek out these voyages.
«We do not expose ourselves to storms unnecessarily, and we do not sail any harder than we would normally have done. These are optimal sailing voyages that eventually come about when the conditions are right for it, and which we all greatly appreciate experiencing when it first happens, says Seid.
Captain Seidl and Statsraad Lehmkuhl are currently on their way to Natal in Brazil, one of the last port visits before The Ocean Expedition ends in Bergen on 15 April. Seidl hopes that the next shift, led by captain Jens Joachim Hiorth, will also have wind in their sails.
«It will be exciting to see whether JJ & Co. have the conditions on their side when they sail the last leg across the Atlantic in a few weeks. Maybe they can secure the tenth Boston Tea Pot trophy for Statsraad Lehmkuhl», says Seidl.
Haakon Vatle, CEO of the Lehmkuhl Foundation, says that the Boston Tea Pot Trophy is one of the best prizes a tall ship can receive.
«This is an incredibly great recognition of both ship and crew. The special thing about this particular voyage was that the cadets and crew got off to a brutal start with a terrific storm shortly after departure from Newport. All the more pleasant that the storm changed to particularly favorable winds, which gave the ship fantastic speed» Vatle says.
Every time Statsraad Lehmkuhl has won the trophy, there have been cadets from the Norwegian Naval College on board.
«We will do our best to keep this tradition going in the years to come», Vatle says.
The presentation of the Boston Tea Pot Trophy will take place on February 28 in London.