Sailboat “Beijing” on the way to Hamburg | NDR.de – news

Stand: 07.09.2020 10:34 am – NDR 1 Welle Nord

It was launched in Hamburg in 1911, then sailed 34 times around Cape Horn and was a museum ship in New York for more than 40 years: the historic four-masted barque “Peking” returns home today. At the Peters shipyard in Wewelsfleth (Steinburg district) it was Elaborately restored for three years for 38 million euros. In Hamburg, the sailboat will be the flagship of the planned to be the German Harbor Museum in Kleiner Grasbrook. You can follow the journey of “Beijing” through live video streaming.

Greetings for the Stör bombing

The first challenge is over. As “Peking” slowly passed the bottleneck of the Stör bombardment, cheers and applause erupted. Because here it applies: nature rules. The 115-meter-long “Beijing” only passes through the small barrage that connects the Stör with the Elbe during floods. At 22 meters, it is only seven meters wider than “Peking”. That is why the last sailing trip started very early in the morning. Furthermore, the transverse masts, that is, the shipyards of the sailboat, had to be flown, that is, folded. Otherwise, the “Beijing” would not have come through the door.

Like many other people, Mathias Kahl also climbed the levee this morning. He is a board member of the Beijing Friends Association and has been waiting for this moment for a long time. His father went to sea with Beijing: “Since I was little, my father used to say to me: ‘Man, it would be nice if we went back to Beijing in Hamburg.’ And now the time has come, “says Kahl, visibly excited.

With two tugboats to Hamburg

After passing the barrage of locks, the next maneuver arrives: the shipyards are blown up again, that is, they are placed across the ship again. With the help of brass winches, the mast cross bars are positioned at a 90 degree angle to the ship. “Here it stands out in all its size and beauty,” says Wewelsflether shipyard project manager Niklas Pfaff.

We continue up the Elbe accompanied by the two tugs “Wulf 3” and “Wulf 5”. The powerful tugs are necessary to be able to maneuver the “Beijing” correctly. For a long archer, tight turns are not easy to master. When the “Beijing” passes through Stadersand, Joachim Kaiser of the Maritime Foundation, who took over the ship in 2016, is thrilled: “These buildings were already there when the ‘Beijing’ left the Elbe.” That was about 90 years ago. A lot has changed since then.

With the afternoon flood in the port of Hamburg

The two tugs then carry the “Peking” a bit up the Elbe to Twielenfleth in the Stade district. There is a five hour break there to wait for the next tide. At high afternoon tide, it passes through Wedel and Blankenese to the Elbe Philharmonic, where it turns Beijing around 6pm, then maneuvers back to its berth in front of the Hamburg Harbor Museum. The return of the new landmark of the Hanseatic city should be completed around 7pm after a total of 88 years. The transfer of the boat is followed by thousands along the Elbe, because many places along the route are suitable as observation points.

Viermaster is over 100 years old

the “Beijing” was built in 1911 by Blohm + Voss. She is one of the legendary Flying P-Liners of the F. Laeisz shipping company, who were famous for their speed and safety. Almost three years ago the ship was brought from New York to Germany, where it was extensively restored at the Peters shipyard in Wewelsfleth. The four master was previously ill on the dock at the South Street Seaport Museum.