Westward Ho sails to Seamen’s Day after 142 years

The 142 year old wooden sailing ship Westward Ho sailed from Leirvík to Klaksvík for the annual Seamen’s Day, Kringvarp Føroya reported.

The traditional vessels gathered in Leirvík on Friday evening for group singing and other entertainment. At 8am on Saturday, they set course for Klaksvík.

Andras Vinther was captain of Westward Ho for the trip. Hanns David Hansen, who has sailed regularly on the vessel since 2006, also spoke about the journey.

Hanna Jensen, chairwoman of the culture committee in Eystur Municipality, has often taken part in the voyage from Leirvík to Seamen’s Day. She joined the trip again on Saturday.

“I think it is something very special to sail into the harbour in Klaksvík that morning aboard a cultural heritage vessel from 1884,” Jensen said.

Benjamin, 13, and Jógvan, 12, both from Leirvík, were allowed to take the helm of Westward Ho while Vinther taught them how to steer. They were surprised that the ship could be 142 years old.

“There is tremendous interest in the sailing ships, and we are asked to attend all kinds of events during the summer. We are fortunate that Westward Ho has such a large pool of people, so we never lack a crew to sail the ship,” Vinther said.

He added that the vessels were always warmly welcomed at Seamen’s Day.

Excellent weather this year brought large numbers of visitors aboard while Westward Ho was moored in Klaksvík.

The other vessels in the procession were Jóhanna, Thorshavn and Dragin, along with the two old fishing boats Norðan and Grinkil.