En tidning från Breakwater Publishing
och Svenska Ostindiska Compagniet
om Ostindiefararen Götheborg

the Götheborg Courier | May 2007

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The fantastic voyage

The great, modern East India adventure started in the beginning of December 1984 when members of the Swedish Marine Archeological Society were a diving by the lighthouse Hunnebådan by the harbour at Gothenburg. On 12 September 1745, 239 years earlier, the East India ship Götheborg sank here after a long journey to China when she only had an hour or so to sail back to her anchorage.
The divers found fragments of porcelain and wood which could be traced back to the wreckage of the Götheborg.

Many years later the fantastic idea was conceived of building a sailing vessel as they were built in the 18th century and sailing her to Guangzhou (earlier called Canton) in China, the destination of sailing ships in the Swedish East India Company.

A long voyage had started, a voyage which experienced both fair winds and headwind. A collection of enthusiasts started the extraordinary work involved in lobbying authorities, companies and private people. They researched and sought answers to thousands of questions. How should the hull be built, and what form should it be given? How should the rigging be designed and how large strains would it be subjected to? Where could they source suitable materials such as wood and hemp rope?

At the same time as the vessel would reflect the art of shipbuilding in the 18th century, this contemporary 18th century ship would be equipped with modern machines and electricity, and comforts such as showers and toilets, a laundry room and a proper kitchen.

A smithy, a sail loft and workshops were set up, and in June 1995 the keel was laid and the fine ship began to take form and colour. After eight years in construction, the Götheborg was launched in the summer of 2003. She was equipped and finished by the quay in Gothenburg and before her sailing trials there were many who doubted whether she really could sail. There was absolutely no need for anxiety. With her sails set, she literally glided across the sea.
On 2 October 2005 the Götheborg left her home harbour and started the long, adventurous and successful voyage to China and back again.

The Götheborg has crossed the great oceans, survived storms and visited harbours on five continents. Everywhere she went, the ship and her crew received exceptional welcomes and millions of people have seen the fantastic Swedish vessel.

Many dreams have been realised and the Götheborg is very much a living proof that if you really want something and are prepared to struggle for it, your dreams will come true.

We are both happy and proud to present glimpses of the construction and well-illustrated tales from the long journey and life on board the ship.

Robert Hermansson, Editor-in-chief

The voyage and life onboard

6 The very first sailing

7 The passage to China

8 From the safe home harbour towards adventure

10 Towards Cadiz with silent sails

12 Cadiz – the first official stop

14 A day in the life of a deckhand

15 Providing food on board requires new solutions

17 King Neptune dubbed the unworthy

18 New Year in Recife

20 Navigating, as in the 18th century

24 Changeable weather and rigging failure
en route to Cape Town

25 Sailing beyond the limits

27 Beautiful arrival in Cape Town

28 Krill, plankton and chlorophyll
occupy researchers on board

30 Over the vast Indian Ocean to Fremantle

32 Cultures met in Fremantle

33 Sailing through pirate waters towards Jakarta

35 Great public interest for Götheborg in Jakarta

37 Towards Guangzhou, protected by the Lion

40 A royal arrival in China

42 Visitor record and media coverage in Guangzhou

43 Sailing to Shanghai in weak winds

45 Rigging maintenance in Shanghai

47 Celebrations and typhoon warning between
Hong Kong and Singapore

48 Christmas and New Year in Singapore

49 Over seas and through straits to India

51 Clogged filters and risky bunkering

53 Ten intensive days in Chennai

54 To Djibouti and Alexandria with damaged rigging (PHOTO 1/E JARL WEDEFELT)

55 Across the Mediterranean to Nice

58 My 23 year voyage with the Götheborg

60 The voyage exceeded all expectations

Building the Götheborg

62 The Swedish East India Company
– the most profitable firm in Sweden

65 An historic retrospective

67 The Götheborg is rigged in the old-fashioned way

70 Several thousand square metres of sail
are sewn by hand in the sail loft

73 Hidden technology in a wooden hull

75 Queen Silvia christens the Götheborg

77 Mythological decorations with much symbolism