As part of the classic tall ship’s world tour, the ‘Vespucci’ docked at the Phuket Deep Sea Port yesterday evening (Nov 5), and will remain there through to this Sunday (Nov 10).
The Vespucci has opened its decks to visitors with public tours during its stay. However, due to its high popularity, reservations were required to manage visitor flow and all public tours, which are free of charge, are already sold out.
The Vespucci embarked on its global tour in 2023, and will continue to make its way around the world into next year.
The oldest ship in service in the Italian Navy, the Amerigo Vespucci was launched on Feb 22, 1931. The classic three-masted sailing ship provides training activities for first-year cadets of the Naval Academy, students of the Military Naval School ‘F. Morosini’, and other naval training institutes.
Young members of sailing associations such as the Lega Navale, the Associazione Nazionale Marinai d’Italia, and the Sail Training Association Italia, are also trained on the stunning ship.
“Committed for over 30 years to safeguarding and protecting the natural heritage and the marine environment, it [the ship] collaborates with organisations such as UNICEF, WWF, and Marevivo to instil respect for our planet in new generations,” explains ‘Villaggio Italia’, which organises the Vespucci’s activities.
“Due to its numerous and prestigious diplomatic and representative activities carried out worldwide, the Amerigo Vespucci is, in fact, a travelling Italian Embassy,” the organisers added.
At 82 metres long and 15.5m wide, the Vespucci has a displacement of 4,200 tonnes and requires 7.3m draft to avoid hitting bottom.
Of the ship’s three masts, the mizzenmast (closest to the rear of the boat) is the shortest at 43m tall. The foremast stands 50m tall and the mainmast reaches up from the deck some 54m.
The bowsprit, alone at 18m long, serves as the ship’s fourth mast and brings the ship’s length overall to 101m.
The masts allow the ship to fly 2,650 square metres of sail area, which altogether require a staggering 36km of cables and rigging.
Despite its impressive sail power, at best the ship achieves 15 knots under sail, and only 11 knots under motor power.
After departing Phuket this Sunday, the Vespucci will makes its way to India, where it will remain in port in Mumbai from Nov 28 to Dec 2.
Additional reporting by Eakkapop Thongtub