Soren Larsen - Ocean Sailing Down Under

Submitted by adam on Wed, 07/04/2010 - 15:58

Description
Itinerary
Starting Port
End Port
Vessel Details

Voyage Number	V319
Voyage price	£2285 for 14 nights
Voyage Dates	25/10/2010 - 10:00 - 08/11/2010 - 10:00
Depart from	Sydney
Finishing Port	Auckland, NZ
Voyage area	Pacific , South Pacific
Voyage type	Adventure Voyage , Ocean Passages , Tall Ships
Vessel	Soren Larsen
Availability	Available
	BOOKING FORM >>>

Voyage Description

Soren Larsen - South Pacific 2012

Tall Ship Adventures in the South Seas

From April 2011 tall ship Soren Larsen will undertaken a series of voyages to the very best of the tropical South Seas. There are ten voyages to chose from - varying in length from 10 to 32 days. Some are pure ocean passages, others have island hopping as a main theme, and a few have a combination of a long ocean passage and some exploring amongst island groups.

A true ocean passage takes us from Auckland to the Kingdom of Tonga via the volcanic Kermadec islands. In the islands of Haapa'i and the whale breeding grounds of Vava'u we find South Pacific cruising t its best.

From there we sail Westwards with the trade winds on a series of voyagesaccross the best of Polynesia and Melanesia from Tonga to the outer islands of colourful Fiji.

We explore the wild untouched beauty and undisturbed culture of the islands of Vanuatu; sailing as far North as the rarely visited islands of the Banks and Torres Group and we see the classical South Sea beauty of New Caledonia.

The last leg is an authentic square rig passage from New Caledonia to Sydney harbour in Australia.

Classic Sailing Office: 0044 (0) 1872 580022

Soren Larsen Booking Agent UK & Tall Ship Holiday Specialists

Classic Sailing office is run by working skippers. We all have extensive experience of sailing all types of tall ship in many parts of the world, so you can ask us just about anything. Adam in the office has sailed in New Zealand and on Soren Larsen and our new Cornwall skipper Esther Keen has just returned from sailing the South Pacific so we are very excited about helping you book this amazing series of blue water voyages.

Leg 1: Sydney to New Zealand

On arriving onboard you will be shown your berths, introduced to the crew and signed on Ships Articles as Voyage Crew members. Much of the first morning will be spent introducing you to the ship and explaining various routines, safety procedures and equipment and how the watch system works. For those who wish we try to give you a chance to be shown aloft in the rigging before we get underway.
Sailing into Sydney Harbour is always a thrilling occasion. It was here that Soren Larsen sailed in as Flagship of the First Fleet Re-enactment Voyage with the fleet of Tallships for Australia’s 200th birthday in 1988.

Blue Water Passage

The trip across the Tasman will be an exciting and challenging sail for both the novice and the experienced sailor. The voyage gives time for good sailing passage of 1000 miles to the northern tip of New Zealand in the prevailing westerlies. This should take us about a week in reasonable conditions and will be a thrilling way to combine a visit to Australia and New Zealand.

During the sea passage from Australia the ship is sailing 24 hours a day and as voyage crew you will stand deck watches and work within a normal 4 hours on/ 8 hours off watch system. This rotates during the course of the voyage to allow everyone to be on deck during different parts of the day. While on watch the voyage crew are under the care and instruction of the watch officer and two other permanent crew; everyone stands a trick on the helm, take lookout on bow watch, helps fill in the ship’s deck log and help handle sail as required. The watches on deck will have to work the brigantine rig to best advantage to make the most of the changeable weather.

On the longer sea passage there’s time for talks about basic navigation, seamanship theory, rope work, history and development of square rigged ships. The timeless routines of the sea and unique beauty and grandeur of the ocean can only really be appreciated by those who have undertaken a blue water passage several days out from land.

Incredible Wildlife

Our route should coincide with the annual migration of the humpback whales ad being the end of their breeding system we hope to see the whales at the start of their migration to Antarctica. In the southern latitudes we should also expect to see an abundance of sea birds, including Mollymauks, Cape Pigeons and the magnificent Wandering Albatross.

Sighting Cape Reinga at the northern tip of North Island will be our first glimpse of New Zealand and son we shall enter the beautiful Bay of Islands to clear NZ Customs at the tiny fishing village of Opua. A good ocean passage will allow us time to enjoy the Bay including the historic town of Russell and the picturesque Roberton Island. Dolphins usually delight in escorting us to Cape Brett and the Hole in the Rock archway.

Once we drop anchor at the Bay of Islands the deck watch is taken by the permanent crew and the Voyage Crew are free to explore ashore. With 4 or 5 nights in hand we make our way south through the Hauraki Gulf, visiting the marine reserve and the Poor Knights islands and perhaps Kawau or Tiri Tiri island before we arrive at our final destination, Auckland.

There are 13 permanent crew who maintain and sail the ship and who are there to assist and help you enjoy your time aboard. Once we drop anchor the deck watch is undertaken by the permanent crew and you the Voyage Crew are free to explore ashore.

See Voyage Description for Typical Itinerary

The Voyage Description section (see tab above) includes typical destinations and highlights for each Pacific Adventure leg on brigantine Soren Larsen as she follows the trade winds around the South Seas. Some voyages are adventurous island hopping and a few are pure Ocean passages. The most popular are those that involve a mix of Pacific blue water passages and shorter sails between island groups with lots of anchoring and meeting the locals.

Wind Powered Travel

If you want to travel around the Pacific for several months powered only by the wind and your own efforts as crew, then spending a few pacific ocean legs living on Soren Larsen is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel.

Vessel Details

See the tab above for a full description of this historic wooden ship

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Auckland - City of Sails

The City

Imagine a city where most the population live within half an hour of beautiful beaches, hiking trails and holiday islands. Sailing is in their blood and Auckland Harbour is huge.

Location of the Ship

Joining & departure times: 1000hrs at Princes Wharf West, Quay St, Auckland
Adjacent to National Maritime Museum

Accommodation

Plenty in Auckland from very good value back packer hostels to top end luxury hotels.

Things to Do in Auckland

more soon.

Travelling Between Auckland & Russell

There is a regular coach service between Auckland and Russell, Bay of Islands which takes approx 4 hours and is quite a scenic drive.

Trip advice for New Zealand

If you are planning a trip to New Zealand there is a wealth of information on adventure activities, cultural experiences and independant travel options to chose from. Almost too much choice. The nice thing about adding a 4-5 day voyage on Soren Larsen to your New Zealand itinerary, is that you can indulge in relatively slow travel, with the winds dictating your daily itinerary. You also have a chance to offset all that carbon created to fly you to New Zealand by exploring a significant part of the North Island powered by the wind.

The ships crew are well travelled and enthusiastic about much more than just square rig sailing, so they make great ambassadors to introduce you to New Zealand. If you are flying into Auckland a voyage on Soren Larsen could make the perfect start to your holiday. You can chill out after a long flight; exert a bit of physical energy, learn about the wildlife and culture without feeling like a tourist, make some potential travel friends, and get some tips on where to go next. The age range on board is really mixed.

Classic Sailing skippers have been to New Zealand via stop over in Cook Islands and experienced many things from climbing upto the highest mountain pass accross the Southern Alps, to canyonning by jumping down waterfalls in the rainforest around Auckland. Over the next few weeks we will be adding some of our favourite New Zealand experiences and some of the quality outdoor activities we think our sailing customers might also like.

We think a voyage on Soren Larsen should be a 'must do' for anyone exploring North Island. National Geographic Adventure Magazine goes further and nominated the voyages as 25 best trips in the world.

Flight Advice

Classic Sailing are not flight brokers. If you are planning a world trip or multiple stop offs in Austrailia and New Zealand we recommend you speak to a specialist flight broker. Always allow a bit of leeway for possible delays in both long haul flights and adventure activities.

Main airlines serving New Zealand and Australia from UK. You can avoid the hassle of flying via USA by going via Far or Middle East.

Air New Zealand

Departures from London Heathrow to Auckland, Christchurch & Wellington

Stop Overs Los Angeles, Hong Kong & Pacific Islands

Emirates

Departures from Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, to Auckland, Christchurch, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Stop overs Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok

Widest seats in economy at 34"

Singapore Airlines

Departures from Heathrow & Manchester to Auckland, Christchurch, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Stop overs Singapore

Qantas

Departures from Heathrow to Auckland, Christchurch, and heaps of Australian airports.

Stopovers - Bangkok, Hong Kong, Bali, Singapore, Bali, Fiji, New York, Los angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu.

Good for round the world tickets. Ask about Qantas Walkabout Fares

Cathay Pacific

Departures from Heathrow to Auckland, Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne Perth, Sydney.

Stop over Hong Kong

Etihad Airways

Departure from London Heathrow, Manchester to Auckland and main Australian cities

Stop Overs Abu Dhabi, Dubai

National airline of United Arab Emirates. Worlds fastest growing airline with very new planes

Virgin Blue & Pacific Blue

Soren Larsen - Brigantine

Brigantine Søren Larsen makes Sydney her home port, but she roams far and wide from her home for much of the year, and has done more than her fair share of epic ocean crossings in her 60 years life as a wooden sailing ship. For her fascinating journeys of cultural discovery to some of the most unspoilt South Pacific islands, and for introducing her guest crews to the breathtakingly beautiful New Zealand coastline in her own unique style, Søren Larsen has several won tourism awards.

National Geographic Adventure Magazine nominated Soren Larsen as on of the ‘25 Greatest Trips in the World’

1996 Tourism Auckland - Hauraki Gulf Development and Protection Award at the inaugural tourism awards

1999 Tourism Auckland Annual Awards – the ship won the 'Adventure and Experience' Category

Star of The Onedin Line

If she looks strangely familiar to British sailors then that is because she is ! Famous as the star of the BBC TV historical drama series ‘The Onedin Line’ with that stirring title music by Katchaturian (Adagio from Spartacus). Søren Larsen’s authentic period rig starred in several films including "The French Lieutenant's Woman", "Count of Monte Cristo" and "Shackleton" - which involved sailing north to the Arctic Circle into the pack-ice of Greenland.

History

The ship was built in northern Denmark in by Soren Larsen & Sons at Nykobing Mors in 1949. One of the last cargo carrying sailing ships trading through Scandinavia and Europe, Soren Larsen was constructed entirely of oak. She was massively built with oak outer planking on double oak frames with an inner hull planking of oak to carry timber grain and general cargo and traded until 1972.

She was bought and saved from destruction by family of square rig enthusiast s in Colchester, England. There Captain Tony Davies assembled a team of skilled shipwrights to commence the restoration work. New decks, masts, yards and spars were made and she was entirely re-rigged as the graceful late 19th century brigantine she is today. Film work earnings like the Onedin Line helped pay for her restoration and up keep.

In 1987 Soren Larsen was invited to be the Flagship for the Australian Bicentenary re-enactment voyage of the First Fleet. She led a fleet of eight tall ships on a 22,000 mile voyage from England to Australia via Rio de Janerio and Cape Town, arriving to a tumultuous welcome in Sydney in January 1988.

Round Cape Horn & Transatlantic Tall Ship Race Winner

As part of her ‘Homeward round the Horn’ project – an Australia via Southern Ocean to Europe voyage with 'Eye of the Wind' – Soren became the first British flagged tall ship to sail round Cape Horn since 1936. In 1992 she topped this by winning her class in the Transatlantic Tall Ship Race via New York and Liverpool during the Columbus Grand Regatta. It was a fitting way to complete the ship's first circumnavigation.

Extensive Refit 1992 - 1993

After some pretty tough world voyaging Soren Larsen underwent an extensive refit and further restoration work in Britain. She returned to her home Pacific waters via the Caribbean, Panama and the Galapagos. In 1996 it was decided to re sheath of hull with native totara to preserve the original oak planking.

Each southern hemisphere winter she cruises the romantic and barely accessible islands of the South Pacific, giving many first time sailors and adventurers of all ages a genuine 'experience of a lifetime'. From November to April she sails the beautiful New Zealand coast, giving individuals the chance to enjoy a glimpse of traditional square rig sailing and providing groups and companies with an opportunity to stage spectacular events aboard this unique ship.

Around The World Again

To celebrate the new Millennium Soren Larsen undertook a world voyage, the Global Odyssey 2000. Departing Auckland in March she sailed 30,000 miles to Britain via USA, Canada and Europe. She set out on the return journey via the Canaries, Caribbean, Panama Canal, Galapagos, Easter Island, Pitcairn and across the South Pacific returning home to Auckland New Zealand in October 2001.

Creating a Unique Tall Ship Experience in NZ and Polynesia

For the last 7 years Soren Larsen and her enthusiastic crew have developed their voyages and carved their own special niche in adventure travel. The ship works from her home base in Sydney New Zealand during the southern hemisphere summer and explores the tropical waters of the South Pacific from March to November. Classic Sailing are very pleased to be introducing one of our favourite ships to a new audience. If you are planning to visit the Southern Hemisphere, Soren Larsen’s voyages represent a way of experiencing New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands, that should be on every traveller’s wish list.

Vessel Specification

Rig: Brigantine.

Two masts. 12 sails in total and 7000 sq ft (650 sq metres)

Square Sails on the Foremast: Fore Course, Lower & Upper Topsail, t’gallant

Sparred Length Overall: 145ft (44.2m)

Length on Deck: 105ft (32m)

Beam: 25ft 6in (7.8m)

Draft: 11ft 3in (3.4m)

Displacement: 290 tonnes

Gross Registered Tonnage: 125 tonnes

Built: 1949, Denmark

Flag: Cook Islands

Safety Certification: NZ Safe Ship Management Scheme

Crew: 12 crew and 22 guest voyage crew

Hull: Oak with Iroko decks

Ships Boats & Leisure equipment:

DOTI Inflatable Rescue Boat & liferafts for 80

16ft Avon Inflatable

Workboat

Lugsail Sailing Dinghy

Windsurfer

Snorkelling equipment for all on board.

Fishing gear, assorted musical instruments

Accommodation below:

There is a characterful saloon with brass lamps and walnut panelling, an on board library and separate crew accommodation. For a maximum of 22 voyage guest crew there are 7 twin and 2 four berth cabins. Some twin cabins have wash basins. Twin berths can be reserved at time of booking at no extra cost but are available on first come first serve basis. All cabins are not large and storage space is at a premium. Duvets and bedding are supplied by the ship, but we ask guests to bring their own towels. On tropical voyages it can get quite hot below decks and some like the romance of sleeping on deck, so bringing a camping mat if you want to try sleeping under the stars.

Soren Larsen has hot fresh water showers and generators supply 240v electricity so you can charge up cameras / phones etc (NZ three pin sockets). The cooks provide 3 hearty freshly cooked meals a day. Our ship's cook is able to cater for vegetarians, and/or any other special dietary requirements as long as we are informed at time of booking Wine, beer and other drinks are available on board but you need to pay for these individually (major credit cards accepted for your bar bill)

Souvenirs:

There is a select range of quality souvenirs available aboard the ship including, fleeces, rugby shirts, polo shirts & hats all with ship's logo and name embroidered on.

Captain for 2010: Jim Cottier - As the ship's senior Master he has sailed the ship and trained her crews over several decades, and is considered one of the most eminent skippers in square rig.

What to Bring

Luggage: One main piece of luggage, which should be a soft kit bag or rucksack. A hard suitcase will not be suitable due to limited storage space.

Clothing: Musto Waterproofs are provided on Soren but you might want light weight waterproofs for exploring ashore. When it rains in the tropics – it pours. If you are sailing at night it can be cold even in the tropics so a few fleece layer options and long trousers are recommended. Day time hopefully you will be in shorts, cotton tee shirts.

Footwear: In these tropical latitudes most go barefoot on deck but its not compulsory. All terrain type sandals are good e.g. reef, teva, keen for on deck or going ashore in the dinghy to explore. Unless you have tough feet, going aloft is much better in deck shoes / sandals that can’t fall off than bare feet.

High factor sun cream or sun block, sunglasses, straps for your prescription glasses, sea sickness tablets, large and small towel, earplugs, torch and spare batteries, camera, swimsuit, sun hat, small day sack for walks ashore. A sleeping mat if you plan to sleep on deck.

Passports & Visas

Don’t forget passport, travel insurance documents.

Please check any visa requirements very carefully if you are planning to travel either side of your trip.

For travel tips see our port information

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