Tall Ship SØRLANDET at Singer Castle, photo by Scott Garris
(Click on photos to see them larger).
(Click on photos to see them larger).
On
Wednesday, September 11th during their journey from Erie, PA to Quebec City,
Canada, the forty Class Afloat
students and twenty crew members on the Tall Ship SØRLANDET made a stopover at
Singer Castle. The
210 foot long SØRLANDET, the oldest full rigged ship still in existence, had
just participated in the Tall
Ships Challenge-Great Lakes 2013 taking part in tall ship races, a re-enactment
of a War of 1812 battle
and festivities in Windsor, Ontario and Erie, PA. The ship was on its way to
Quebec to begin an
eight-month long journey that will take the students across the Atlantic Ocean
three times and to eighteen
different countries.
Members of
the SØRLANDET’s crew who had previously visited Singer Castle suggested that a
tour of the castle
and grounds would be a nice surprise for the hard working students. Divided
into four groups the students
toured with castle staff members and enjoyed hearing the history of the castle
and the Bourne
family. They saw the castle’s secret passageways, explored the castle’s 2700
volume library and walked on
the castle grounds and through the gardens. One student even played an
impromptu concert on the baby
grand piano in the Wicker Room.
On-board look at the SØRLANDET, photo by Scott Garris
When their
tour of the castle concluded, the students graciously offered castle staff
members a tour of the
SØRLANDET before returning to their studies and evening chores. Early the next
morning after a long night
of thunder and lightning storms, the SØRLANDET sailed off through the fog once
again on its way to
Quebec.
Find out more about Class Afloat at http://www.classafloat.com/ and more
about the Tall Ship Sorlandet at http://fullriggeren-sorlandet.no.erkunde.no/en.
