S/Y Ellen, Historical schooner in Stockholm, Sweden
The S/Y Ellen is a two-masted schooner measuring approximately 22 meters long and 6 meters wide, built entirely from oak wood. The vessel is moored at Beckholmen harbor in Stockholm and operates as a floating training and museum ship.
Built in 1897–1898 in oak and beech by shipbuilder C. Bom at the Thurø yard in Denmark, the schooner was launched as William for the partnership C. Bom and M. Petersen, which owned and skippered her until 1918. Sold on 28 March 1918 to Albert Chr. Rasmussen in Hundstrup, she passed to Sweden on 3 March 1920 under Johan Hjelm of Resö and was renamed Ellen. From 1935 to 1961 she carried freight from Öland; Lidingö municipality used her as a school ship from 1985 to 1992, and on 12 June 1992 the Stiftelsen s/y Ellen bought her.
The vessel functions as a working museum where visitors experience traditional sailing crafts and maritime practices firsthand. You can see how sailors lived and worked through hands-on participation aboard the ship.
You can join sailing courses lasting between 8 and 14 days that take the ship through Stockholm's archipelago. Be prepared to live in close quarters and actively help with ship operations during your time aboard.
The ship is maintained by specialized craftspeople who recently reinstalled iron braces in its structure to ensure stability for the future. These traditional repair methods are rare today and show how wooden sailing ships are kept alive for new sailors.
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