Lady Vespucci: The tall ship “Amerigo Vespucci”

On a foggy October day, the imposing masts of the tall ship seem to emerge from behind the Arsenal bridge in Venice like a sudden apparition. The dense mist of the air draws the lines of the rolled sails and the yards in a gray image of times long gone. At this melancholic sight, even the marble lions of the square look rather astonished.

The lady is docked along the quay, a dreamlike presence dressed in steel with black and white stripes and endowed by a pale complexion of light coloured wood. Embellished with golden decorations and luminous brass, as if attending a gala, she quietly waits for her visitors.

The queue for coming aboard the Amerigo Vespucci, the training ship of the Italian Navy, has tripled its lenght in the last thirty minutes. The wait is not unpleasant: with the hottest hours of the day, the fog dissolves and each step towards the vessel reveals new details. At the stern, the hull emerges from the water with golden-leaf subjects and floral motifs: two sylvan figures hold a blue coat of arms bearing the signs of a star and an anchor. A little above, on the quarter gallery, the name of the ship is written in wavy letters.

On the deck, a series of lifeboats with emerald hulls shine like they were just polished and above them, 50-meters-long masts hover in a maze of hawsers and shroud up to a blue flag on the mainmast.

The Amerigo Vespucci has the proud appearance and the unfading appeal of an historical ship. Launched in 1931, it was built with the aim of training cadets, but also to operate in case of war by backing up submarines.

The training ship has three masts, bowsprit, mainsail and jibs. A stunning vision from a distance – even the aircraft carrier USS Independence signalled its compliments when they crossed paths in the ocean – the Vespucci is on board a true dream of past times. The deck has long, clean planks, a staircase with decorative rungs, brass portholes, commemorative plaques, a bell and dolphin-shaped handles. At the base of the masts, tags identify the name of the sails: strangolacane, caricabolina belvedere, caricabolina controvelaccino.. These are woven in hemp and reach a total surface of 2650 meters. “But they break, of course they break!” I was told by one of the crew.

The tall ship yearns to preserve its original characteristics and refuses to adopt more updated materials. Its aim is in fact the teaching of sailing in its essential rudiments. The sailer uses no modern technology, except for the radar and for new, efficient engines.

During its first days on the sea, the Amerigo Vespucci had a close relative: the Cristoforo Colombo, a twin ship. Unfortunately the latter had a short life, because it was given to Russia as war reparation and then demolished.

A unique example, the Amerigo Vespucci is a source of ambition for many in the Navy.  To be part of the 240 people which compose the crew or the 150 cadets that  train aboard for three months is a great honour.

“I didn’t think I would be chosen for the Vespucci”, a Roman girl and  Telecommunications Specialist aboard told me, “Many stand as candidates”. I ask her about her experience in the Navy and she describes the difficult years of the Academy: “It was very hard, I even asked myself why I was following this path. But as I starded working on ships, I was amazed about how beautiful life at sea was”.

I inquire about her daily routine and she tells me that each morning begins with the cleaning of the deck: everyone is in charge of a certain area and has to polish brass, wash the floor and wax the wood. Then it’s time to work: to communicate with port authorities and ships and to receive political figures when docked. The vessel in fact promotes the safeguard of natural environment and maritime ecosystems and has mainly a diplomatic and representative function. But the sailors have also time for physical activities and games, that can relieve stress.

I ask her about the most beautiful time of day and she confesses that on a sailship sunsets are a striking experience, quite different from the ones on very illuminated metal boats.

Every member of the Navy has to spend some time on the firm land. The girl has been aboard since 2012 and thinks getting back to an office life will be strange. “I will try to get used to it again”, she tells me, “It’s such a surprising life at sea!”.

At the fore stands out the yard, under which the figurehead of the great Italian navigator and explorer Amerigo Vespucci hangs. There I meet a young sailing master from Southern Italy: a lively guy aboard since 2007. He supervises the sails and he is almost a tightrope walker. He in fact stands every day on the so called marciapiede – or pavement – a steel cable under the yards. From here, he and his companions roll and unroll the sails. He admits he was scared at first, but then became used it.

He explains that the sails are the true force of the vessel and he doesn’t seem afraid of dealing with the elements. On the contrary, he tells that the best time of his job is during tempests on the ocean, when the sea is turbulent and the fore covered with water. Then the majority of the crew fell ill and he and a few, brave men can enjoy solitude on the deck.

The fact that the Vespucci visited America after years of absence is a good sign for an 86-year-old vessel that still feels intrepid and young. Close to the mainmast, a plaque remembers: “Not he who begins, but he who perseveres”, a Leonardo da Vinci quote. While the tourists continue coming aboard for visiting the historic tall ship, I wish Lady Vespucci to persevere for a long, long time.

I am a freeelancer writer and I live in Padova, Italy. I am a windsurfer, a scuba diver, an avid reader and a rather imaginative and creative woman.  My stories were published by the Italian edition of Christophorus, by Gonomad.com and by a local newspaper.

Follow my blog at:

https://shapeofclouds.wordpress.com/

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This piece was edited and posted onto SEVENSEAS Media by: Bharamee Thamrongmas.