History - Sailing Ship Charter & Travelling

A sailing legend

More than 100 years ago, a sailing legend was born: in 1911, the Lühring shipyard at Brake / Germany built a topsail schooner, which was baptised by her owner, captain Johann Friedrich Kolb from Fockbek near Rendsburg, with the name "Friedrich". In March 1924, the ship was sold to the ship owner Axel Ageberg in Kalmar / Sweden and was named "Sam." Only two years later she was acquired by the shipping company KH Hendriksson in Stockevik / Sweden. After a Jönköpings two-stroke engine was fitted, she became a motor schooner and spent 30 years criss-crossing the Baltic and North Sea as a cargo ship "Merry."

In autumn of 1955, she ran aground in a heavy storm on the Swedish west coast. The wreck was salvaged, repaired and put into operation as one and a half masted schooner "Rose Marie," at times deployed for drift-net fishing off Iceland. The ship, which was now exclusively engine-powered, changed her owner twice in the 1960s, and "Rose Marie" became "Merry" again.

There is still a shipyard plaque on board that documents the year of construction, 1911. On 19 July 1911, "Friedrich" was entered in the Hamburg ship register. The crew consists of six men - the captain and first mate had their cabins on the aft deck, while the other four crew members lived in the forecastle.

At that time, the ship was destined for Atlantic voyages: Salt was transported from Germany to the Río de la Plata in South America and cattle hides were taken on the return journey from there.

Restoration of the Eye of the Wind in the 1970s: The ship was first rigged as a square-rigged schooner (brigantine). A saloon and accommodation for crew and passengers were created in the former cargo holds.
A new engine was installed.

From a cargo ship to a square-rigger

The ship's new life began in 1973 when it was purchased by British enthusiast Anthony “Tiger“ Timbs. A group of enthusiastic ship lovers then began rigging the ship as a brigantine. The restoration work at the shipyard in Faversham / England took almost four years. All the work was carried out meticulously, with great care and an eye for maritime aesthetics. The benches in the saloon came from a church, and the fine wood for the interior was obtained by the enthusiastic Timbs during the demolition of a bank building. The new masts had previously been used to line boreholes in oil extraction. The deckhouses were built from the sturdy teak of a former dance floor. Many details were crafted by hand.

Royal flagship at "Operation Drake"

The result was a sailing ship gem that is unrivalled anywhere in the world. From 1976 onwards, the two-masted ship, now renamed Eye of the Wind, was ready to set sail on great adventures at sea. On her very first voyage, she circumnavigated the globe.

The world tour, with stops in Australia, the South Seas and a rounding of the infamous Cape Horn, had barely ended in 1978 when the next challenge awaited the impressive tall ship: under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Charles (now King Charles III), the Eye of the Wind had the honour of leading "Operation Drake" as its flagship. More than 400 different crew members took part in various stages of this almost two-year expedition around the globe, following in the footsteps of the famous seafarer and scientist. The changing crews of the Eye of the Wind came from 27 nations, and after a short time they all had one thing in common: they were captivated by the soul and charisma of this ship.

Expedition return in front of London's famous Tower Bridge. During "Operation Drake", the ship sailed along the same route that Sir Francis Drake had travelled between 1577 and 1580. From Plymouth, the voyage lead across the Atlantic and through the Panama Canal, then across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Social, ecological and cultural projects were realised in the countries visited.

Scene from "White Squall". The film tells the true story of the sail training ship "Albatross": the sinking reconstructed in the film took place on 2 May 1961. The ship was hit by a squall in the Gulf of Mexico and sank almost immediately.

Hollywood star and Oscar^® winner Jeff Bridges took the helm of the Eye of the Wind as skipper in this production. "Sailing on the Eye of the Wind was a thrill", he wrote in a dedication.

Set sail for a great performance

Her imposing appearance also attracted attention in the film industry, and so the tall ship crossed the waters near the film sets of major Hollywood productions several times. As in real life, the Eye of the Wind braved wild storms, ran aground, burnt out and sank in front of the camera. In the adventure film "Blue Lagoon" (1980), the pirate film "Nate and Hayes" (1983), "Tai-Pan" (1986) and "White Squall" (1996), the ship served as a backdrop.

Renowned Hollywood stars like Brooke Shields and the two Oscar^®-award winners Tommy Lee Jones and Jeff Bridges took the helm of the ship. In the epic "Tai-Pan", based on the novel by James Clavell, the "sailing Hollywood diva" even played a double role – that of the "Morning Cloud" with white sails and that of the "White Witch" with brown sails, which she still sails today.

Traditional sailing in the 21^st century

In 1990, the Eye of the Wind accepted an invitation to the South Seas and took part in the celebrations marking the 200^th anniversary of the settlement of Pitcairn Island, which had been discovered in the wake of the famous mutiny on the Bounty and used as a place of refuge. After rounding Cape Horn once again, the tall ship then served as a sail training ship on all the world's oceans until 2000.

After participating in the Tall Ships Race 2000, a Danish entrepreneur acquired the ship and began undertaking private voyages from its home port of Gilleleje. The new owner completely restored the proud brig and equipped her with state-of-the-art navigation technology and electronics. During the planning and conversion, the ship's maritime character as a traditional tall ship was carefully preserved. Plenty of teak, precious woods, brass and the use of other high-quality materials on the inner deck give the ship its unmistakable atmosphere.

Photo of the condition of the original rigging
as a brigantine with white sails.

A control system for the rigging was deliberately omitted:
to this day, the sails, with a total area of around 750 square metres, are set and lowered using pure muscle power alone. Passengers of all ages have the opportunity to practise traditional seamanship on board – always on a voluntary basis.

The ship has been sailing under the FORUM flag since 2009.
Since then, she has been used year-round for sailing trips, exclusive charter opportunities and high-quality executive training courses. Awareness of the ship's unique history continues to be maintained.

Home port at FORUM MEDIA GROUP

The brig was not reopened to the public until nine years later, when the owner died unexpectedly and the fate of the magnificent sailing ship was initially unclear. On 1 April 2009, all fans of the Eye of the Wind were able to breathe a sigh of relief: their beloved sailing ship found a new home port at FORUM train & sail GmbH, a subsidiary of the German FORUM MEDIA GROUP.

In 2011, the two-masted ship celebrated its 100^th anniversary: on 30 April, the Eye of the Wind led the parade of tall ships as the flagship at the opening of the Kaiserschleuse locks in Bremerhaven, setting a new world record for the longest sailboat parade ever.

Let your spirit set sail! The journey continues

The extremely seaworthy Eye of the Wind is not a ship that likes to lie in harbour. And so FORUM train & sail offers interested fellow travellers, who by the way welcome on board without previous sailing experience are always offering new attractive destinations. Whether it's a Caribbean cruise or Scandinavian summer sailing - the The crew of the Eye of the Wind will be happy to take you with them to new experiences at sea!

Let your spirit set sail!

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