Tilvera is also a sail training ship!

The legacy continues…

As soon as we got to know Heinz (builder and previous owner of the Anne Margaretha, now called Tilvera) , it became clear to us that beyond buying a very special ship, we wanted to continue her legacy, keeping her powerful history alive and rewild the values and the purpose of the ship. We liked the idea of building a community based on friendship, rich learning and eagerness for sailing and adventures.

School at sea!

Heinz has an incredible passion for transmitting his knowledge and love for sailing to the world. For many years, he has been closely working with the Enkhuizer Zeevaartschool (sailing school) and using the ship as a platform as a training ship for students to learn and gain time at sea. Indeed, this is how I first heard about this boat, when I was studying stability during my first year at Zeevarstcshool in December 2021. During my stability classes I learned that Anne Margaretha had been perfectly designed to cope with heavy weather conditions. In case of extreme heeling in a big storm she would never capsize but once she reaches – degrees she will always come back to her normal position. This good example of a safe ship was very impressive for all the students.

From traditional to modern ways of sailing

Sail training is something that Heimir and myself have been doing also for many years at North Sailing with Schooner Opal and other traditional wooden ships. I have always loved to learn and teach the art of sailing so immediately I felt in love with the idea of creating space for young seafarers to train their skills and help developing their sailors’ dreams.

Even for us, (Heimir and me) sailing Tilvera is a new experience since we are most used to handle gaff sails or square sails ( traditional rigging), so it feels like this year is a constant learning process for all of us, not only to get to know the ship but also each other more and more and become confident with pursuing our common dreams and how to get there.

How to sail the seven seas in your own boat , by our incredible mentor Heinz

At the shipyard and during the sailing Heinz tells inspiring stories about how he designed the ship back in 2017 and why he took key decisions on the process of building the ship. He says that when you decide to design a ship the most important thing is to visualize what you really want to do with the ship – to find a purpose – and then start building according to that big dream. He chose freedom and challenges as main ingredients for his formula and sailing to the Arctic and remote places fitted very well with those ideologies. Moreover, he specifies “you need to be very careful not to build a ship that can eventually constrict your dreams of freedom” – referring to so many regulations and laws nowadays existing for big ships etc.

Finding your inner self and yourself at sea

With every little detail of the learning process Heinz show patience and care so that the message is well transmitted and put in practice. Based on a 4-hour watch system we divide in small teams to practice maneuvers, explore all the equipment’s onboard, we navigate like in the old days, using pelorus, finding our positions with the elements and often plotting our position. We combine sailing traditions with modern knowledge , because it is essential to have back up in case the technology crash but also because it is a lot of fun and good lessons from our antecessors to keep alive.

Team working, the key to success

We also have a schedule with daily tasks where every student has a responsibility. This includes cooking onboard, pumping grey water, engine checks, cleaning and sail training. These are all important lessons for the young sailors but also invaluable community engagement and personal development. Together we work on our insecurity, empathy and our egos and we strengthen the values of trust, communication skills, team working

Can you think of a most inspiring way to create a space for change, to cultivate dreams and spread knowledge ?

“ The ocean is the only place won Earth where humans cannot build walls” – Christof and Raissa from Piratas do Amor