On October 14th, the cargo sailing vessel AVONTUUR will start its sixth voyage. The 100-year-old gaff schooner was a guest in Hamburg for refit work. Now the AVONTUUR under Captain Cornelius Bockermann is heading for the Atlantic Ocean again. The mission: to transport goods over sea without emissions. The first leg takes the ship across the Bay of Biscay to Trapani in Sicily. On board: art and coffee for Italy.

Since the schooner, built in 1920 by Otto Smidt in the Netherlands, returned from its fifth voyage in July, there has been a lot of activity around the ship. Volunteers from all over Europe have come to Hamburg to support the AVONTUUR together with the cargo sailing company Timbercoast in refitting the ship. Since last Sunday, the crew of the world’s largest active cargo sailing vessel is on board to finalize the preparations for departure on October 14th.

No relaxing cruise: sailing cargo on board of a 100-year-old schooner requires a lot of teamwork. | © Timbercoast

The crew for the first leg of the AVONTUUR is composed of professional sailors and ambitious young talents from Denmark, Sweden, France and Germany. The proportion of women on board is about fifty percent, and the age is also mixed. Together they will be at sea for about four weeks sailing through the North Sea, the English Channel, via the Bay of Biscay and the Strait of Gibraltar to Sicily.

Three tons of green coffee have already been loaded on board for the cooperation partner Brigantes in Trapani. The young company around the brothers Oscar and Daniel Kravina is in the process of making an old freighter seaworthy again. This will enable the company to transport its own coffee Brigantes cleanly across the Atlantic to Europe in the near future.

Art against climate change: in cooperation with Timbercoast the artist MP Warming organizes an exhibition in Italy. | © Art Science Exhibits

As additional cargo on the sailing voyage towards the Mediterranean Sea, several pieces of art are going on board. Under the direction of the artist MP Warming, an exhibition is to be presented in Italy in January 2021. The aim is to raise awareness of climate change and to build an artistic bridge between Art and Natural Sciences. Together with Art Science Exhibits, Timbercoast will temporarily convert the AVONTUUR’s cargo hold into an exhibition space in order to bring Mission Zero to a wider audience.

Full speed ahead: the AVONTUUR is sailing towards a more sustainable future. | © Timbercoast

The cargo sailing vessel will then set off for Greece in early 2021 to transport olive oil to Mexico and pick up coffee, rum, cocoa and other goods for the European market. In June 2021 the AVONTUUR intends to return to its port of destination in Hamburg.

In its Mission Zero, Timbercoast, the cargo sailing company behind the AVONTUUR, has set itself the task of demonstrating that emission-free, sustainable and fair maritime transport is still possible today. The AVONTUUR connects producers, traders and consumers who think and act ecologically. With his transport model, Captain and Managing Director Cornelius Bockermann is sending a signal to the modern shipping industry and to politics: In order to achieve the climate aims announced in the United Nations, the use of wind as a resource is indispensable for modern maritime transport. But also the question of how our consumption can be more sustainable in the future, to protect people and the environment, is part of Timbercoast’s Mission Zero.

On Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 8:00 a.m. the mooring lines will be cast off at the Museumshafen Harburg.  Visitors are kindly requested to keep an adequate distance of at least 1.5m and to wear a face mask if required.

Where?            Museumshafen Harburg + Am Kanalplatz 16 + 21079 Hamburg-Harburg
When?             Wednesday, October 14th 2020 at 8:oo a.m.

Contact and further information:

Timercoast – Cargo under Sail

Daniel Martens
info@timbercoast.com
www.timbercoast.com

Brigantes – Sail Powered Shipping

Daniel Kravina
info@brigantes.eu
www.brigantes.eu

Art Science Exhibits

MP Warming
asexhibits@gmail.com
www.artscienceexhibits.com