Swedish students on deck

On a sunny, windy afternoon, I had the good luck to speak with Swedish student-sailor, Filip Robertson, one of the members aboard the T/S Gunilla, shown here at the Charleston Maritime Center with the Yorktown in the background.

Filip explained that the 35–40 member crew—accompanied by 12 officers—are high school students from Sweden. A small group of them on ‘watch’ were leisurely doing maintenance and (unofficially) welcoming visitors aboard. Most of them seemed very relaxed or very tired, as befits high school students.

Gunilla in port at Charleston

Imagine the opportunity as a teenager to cross the Atlantic in a 160-foot “square-rigged barque”—sailing, studying, and visiting beautiful places. What a way to spend your Spring semester. In the video below you can see some of the ship close up and hear Filip talk about his experience.

Thanks to TheDigitel for pointing out the T/S Gunilla’s visit to Charleston. To learn more about the ship, visit www.theDigitel.com.