A Dutch schooner that celebrated its 100th anniversary last year has sailed into Ramsgate Port.
The three-masted topsail schooner Oodterschelde is the last remaining representative of the large fleet of schooners that sailed under the Dutch flag at the beginning of the 20th century. As the largest restored Dutch sailing ship the ‘Oosterschelde’ is a monument for Dutch shipbuilding and maritime navigation under sail.
It was launched in 1918 and restored between 1988 and 1992.
The vessel last visited Ramsgate in 2017.
Is there any connection with today being the one-year anniversary of the 3 Dutch yachtsmen drowning in the harbour? I always thought it was strange that we didn’t find out who they were in the local press and there’s no memorial to them anywhere. All seems a bit tragic how it was so under-reported and easily forgotten.