A team rebuilt an exact replica of the famous Götheborg trading ship and retraced its Chinese shipping routes.

Man has always had an inexplicable and magical association with adventure, whether it is on land, in the air, or on sea. While flying and jumping off airplanes is what we love to do in the skies, on land, the opportunities for adventures are endless, from rocking the streets in skateboards to cave-diving and more.

On the sea though, few can match up to the challenges and rewards of sailing. So while handling a simple yacht with the help of just the wind in the sails seems like a task you would have to spend years learning and mastering, here’s a full-size ship that shows you how the sailors of yesteryears ruled the seas in magnificent wooden sailing vessels – the Swedish ship Götheborg, which is an exact replica of the 18th century ship, East Indiaman.

Completely made in wood, this ship may seem like an outdated one in comparison to the steel ocean giants of today, but it sure does the job of turning back time and bringing us some of the old charm that the high seas were once famous for. Few other elements can match the magic of recreating history and building an exact replica, and even repeating the historic journey of the ship to China in the 1700’s and back, but the people behind the Götheborg managed the feat.

Of course, unlike the original ship that sank off the Gothenburg harbor in Sweden on September 12th, 1745, the one built in the modern era survived the voyage that took place between 2005 and 2007 and returned to the safety of the harbor in perfect condition.

It had to. After all, the building of the ship began in 1995, with the hull being launched eight years later, and finally, a comprehensive test saw the ship ready for sailing in 2005. A decade of dedication and deep research eventually brought forth a sailing marvel, and for more than 11 years now, the Götheborg has been wowing the world.

A three-mast wonder with square sails adorning each of the masts, the Götheborg faces the seas with 80 people making up its crew, 20 cabins and three decks giving them enough living quarters and space to move about. With total length of 58.5 meters inclusive of the bowsprit, a beam of 11 meters, and an average speed of around 6 knots, the Götheborg was built in 2005, and among its exploits and honors, already includes the celebratory wedding dinner for the Swedish royal family in 2010.

When it’s not recreating historical voyages or hosting royal wedding dinners, the Götheborg sails around the world promoting Sweden as well as the industrial capabilities of the country. As the largest wooden sailing ship that tests its historical lineage in the open seas, a guided tour of the Götheborg should top every traveler and sailing enthusiast’s bucket list!





