Santa Maria Manuela

Original and very comfortable

This white Gaffel Schooner stands out because of its special hull and the four masts. Equally fascinating is her history. She was originally built as a fishing vessel, to fish for cod around Newfoundland, traditionally a popular dish in Portugal.

Together with other vessels of the same type, they formed a large fishing fleet. Even in the harsh waters around Greenland, these Portuguese fishing vessels regularly fished. During WW II all these ships were painted white, because Portugal remained neutral as one of the few European countries. Thus they were recognizable for the submarines and hoped not to be attacked. The ships were also called the ‘White Fleet’. This fleet retained the traditional way of fishing until the 1970s. After joining the EU in 1986 the quota of cod was reduced and many of these ships were discarded, including the Santa Maria Manuela. But the hull was well preserved! The steel was of a special quality because it was originally intended for the construction of a warship. In 2010, the ship was purchased by the current owner and rebuilt in the record time of 62 working days into a new construction intended for sailing with guests / trainees. It has become a civilian training ship, which can be seen regularly at large Sail Manifestations. The original hull has been retained, the inside has been completely renewed with very comfortable accommodations.