These old-school sailing ships transport cargo across the sea—and you’re invited

The tall ship Tres Hombres is one of a number of vessels that deliver cargo by sail—and guests are invited along for the ride. (Fairtransport Shipping)
The tall ship Tres Hombres is one of a number of vessels that deliver cargo by sail—and guests are invited along for the ride. (Fairtransport Shipping)

Summary

The vessels, some of which look like they’re from the Age of Exploration, are part sustainable-shipping ventures, part adventure-tourism offerings

It was midnight on the North Sea and I was trying to keep my balance on the deck of a tall ship that looks like it dropped out of a time portal from the 18th century. My hands, raw from handling ropes all day, gripped a railing while my stomach churned with the sea. I prayed that my seasickness patch would do its job.

My husband, who had valiantly refused my offer of medicine, had just lost his dinner over the port side of the rollicking ship. “Why are we here again?" he asked before stumbling to his bunk.

Welcome to the cutting edge of sustainable tourism, where “all hands on deck" isn’t just an order—it’s your vacation itinerary.

A small but growing number of European companies have carved out a new tourism niche that blends eco-friendly cargo transport and adventure travel. Paying passengers work on ships that double as commercial freight haulers that ditch fuel in favor of sails.

Travelers might find themselves delivering artisanal olive oil between Mediterranean ports or hauling cacao from the Caribbean to Europe.

Built in 1943 and restored over two years starting in 2007 by a trio of enterprising sailors (hence the name), Tres Hombres sports up to 19 sails, a cargo hold and bunk rooms that include eight berths for trainees who pay about $100 a night to join.

In May, I boarded the ship in Amsterdam for a two-day sail to Blankenberge, Belgium, 120 nautical miles away. The ship had just arrived from an Atlantic crossing and the crew and trainees looked ragged and salt-stained after almost a month at sea. Still, the cargo needed to be unloaded and everyone was put to work immediately. With the help of winches, pulleys and a level of elbow grease that my soft, writerly hands weren’t quite prepared for, I helped unload 11 tons of cacao brought back from the Dominican Republic.

Nonprofessionals like me sign up for this kind of work for all sorts of reasons: to support the zero-emissions mission, to escape modernity and to learn to sail. Everyone, it seems, was up for an adventure.

Even with the guidance of the sailors, running a sailing ship proved to be difficult for an amateur like me to grasp. But if daytime was daunting, nighttime was dastardly. Temperatures dropped, the wind grew and the waves rattled our nerves and rolled our stomachs. The winds whisked us ahead of schedule, and we arrived at Blankenberge’s tiny marina in less than 24 hours.

Despite the difficulties, I left the ship in Blankenberge wishing I could have stayed longer. Talking to Raphaël Jeger-Madiot, a 32-year-old immunology researcher, only intensified those feelings. He was booked aboard Tres Hombres for five weeks.

Jeger-Madiot told me that arriving by sail offered him a different perspective on several European ports he had visited before, including La Rochelle, a medieval town in his native France. The journey revealed unexpected contrasts, too. Massive wind turbine farms and behemoth cargo ships dotted the seascape. But he also saw dolphins, rainbows and, on one approach, the iconic white cliffs of Dover rising from the English Channel. “It was good to feel wild, be closer to nature," he said.

Other companies ply these waters too, offering novices a chance to work as crew members aboard wind-powered vessels moving goods the old-fashioned way. On a much smaller sailboat, Aegean Cargo Sailing invites four to six paying guests to join a handful of trips a year around the Greek islands. For about $250 a night, guests not only help with sailing operations, but also the delivery (and sampling) of goods like artisanal cheeses and olive oil.

Germany-based Timbercoast accepts trainees on its sailing ship, the Avontuur (for about $80 a night), and brings local goods like coffee across the Atlantic.

Grayhound Ventures operates runs across the English Channel loaded with olive oil, rice, tea, flour, coffee and beer. For around $130 a night, guests can come aboard and participate in every facet of running an old-school ship.

Wille Christiani, Grayhound Ventures’ co-owner, isn’t under any illusion that his ship is going to turn the global supply chain on its head, but he sees the burgeoning field as a catalyst for broader change in the shipping industry.

“Traditional ships could be a little link in a larger chain," he said.

For devotees, the disruption potential is only a small part of the appeal. I met Basel, Switzerland-based Daniel Haller aboard Tres Hombres. He was a fellow trainee, though that is not quite the right designation for Haller, who has logged about 23,300 nautical miles on Tres Hombres and has written a book on the ship. Like an explorer of old, the 69-year-old just keeps setting out for more.

“Sometimes it’s dark, wet, cold, and you ask yourself, what the hell am I doing here?" he said. “But if the spirit of Tres Hombres becomes part of your soul, it’s a real feeling of home."

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