Embark	Disembark	Vessel	Duration	Voyage No
Thu 23-11-2023, 18:00Santa Cruz, Tenerife	Mon 08-01-2024, 10:00Stanley, the Falklands	Tecla	46 Nights	TC231123

Voyage Description

MARJAM HELMING TECLA IN GREENLAND — ocean sailing on Tecla

FULL VOYAGE DESCRIPTION

Setting sail from Tenerife to the Falkland Islands

This voyage will take you from the North Atlantic into the South Atlantic – crossing the equator. You will meet Neptune on board and hopefully be admitted to his realm of sea creatures.

Sailing across an ocean is something magical. The rhythm of the ocean, the rhythm of the ship will be all you have to think of all day. Which gives you so much time to read a good book, or keep a journal, work on your seaman skills and much more.

Riding the Brazil current South, we will stay many miles offshore so as not to have the Malvinas current against us. Going from a warm coastal wind, into the cooler winds in the South. As we make our way south, Summer will get a firmer grip on the weather. This does not mean it will be warm as you enter the Falkland islands!

Well Proven Ocean Sailing Ship

Tecla sailed around the world in 2012-13 with Europa and Oosterschelde. She crossed the South and North Atlantic, Indian Ocean, the wild seas of South Australia, raced in the Tasman Sea and sailed across the Pacific to round Cape Horn. She is a fast ship that does well in tall ships races. Run by two Dutch families she likes to create unusual sailing programmes and her crews like to explore ashore with as much energy as they sail the ship.

Sea Time

This is a lovely voyage to get into the swing of Ocean sailing, watchkeeping, helming and sail handling all on a regular pattern of duty. In the time off catch up with some reading, writing, art, or just contemplating the sea, life and the universe. You may also join in any maintenance tasks the crew are setting about, all good learning experiences.

Santa Cruz

This long voyage starts in sunny Santa Cruz on the Canary Island of Tenerife. Excellent flights from Europe.

The Falklands

The Falkland islands lie on the boundary of the sub-antarctic oceanic and tundra climate zones making it one of the most interesting places for wildlife. Both East and West Falkland Islands have mountain ranges reaching 2,300 feet (700 m). They are home to large bird populations, although many no longer breed on the main islands due to predation by introduced species. Major economic activities include fishing, tourism and sheep farming, with an emphasis on high-quality wool exports. Oil exploration, licensed by the Falkland Islands Government, remains controversial as a result of maritime disputes with Argentina.

The main town of Port Stanley is nearly half the civilian population of the islands and has most things you could want, museum, monuments, department stores, gift shops and car hire. You can fly from the military airfield Mount Pleasant Airport (MPN) on East Falkland an hour north of Port Stanley.

Skipper Gijs in one of Tecla's famous beanie hats. — Skipper Gijs in his famous beanie hat.

HANDS ON HOLIDAYS

Whether you are an experienced sailor or a complete beginner, the professional crew will train you to be guest crew from the moment you arrive, with the intention that everybody works together to sail the ship. The common thread to all Classic Sailing holidays is ‘Hands on’ participation on ships that use ropes, blocks and tackles and ‘people power’ to set sail.

SAILING STYLE & LIFE ON BOARD

We cater for a wide range of ages and physical abilities and how much you are expected to do varies a bit between vessels. See the vessel tab above which explains all about the ‘sailing style’ and what to expect in terms of hands on participation. There is a lot of information about day to day life, the ships facilities and accommodation on the vessel pages.

AGILITY & FITNESS

Every customer sailing with us will need to fill in basic medical questions on their booking application. If you are not sure if your current level of fitness and agility are up to a voyage, then please ring the Classic Sailing Office on 01326 53 1234 and we can chat through your concerns and possibly find options that might suit you better.

Start & End Port

Santa Cruz, Tenerife

There are cheap flights to Tenerife from all over Europe as it is a major winter sun holiday destination. You can probably find a flight from regional airports too. There are too many discount airline options to mention.

The harbour in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is huge, with two marinas and miles of harbour wall and quaysides for cruise ships and bigger tall ships. Berths for tall ships are small fry for the port authorities as the bigger more profitable ships get priority, so the sailing ships captain will have to go where ever the port authority puts them, and they may not get to stay there for very long. Please book a flight that gets in at a sensible time for you to get to the ship on time, even if it means getting there the day before and booking into a hotel.

If your vessel is small enough to get into one of the marinas then we can usually be a bit more specific as to where to find the ship beforehand.

The ships exact location in port is often controlled by the port authorities and they will only allocate a docking position a few days before. You will be informed as soon as possible of their exact joining location.

Any changes will be communicated to you before your voyage start date. Make sure you make a note of the ship’s number found in your confirmation email in case of any problems on the day.

Take a Photo of your Ship

We recommend you take a photo of your ship with you to show taxi drivers so they can get to to the right ship!

You can usually see the ships masts on the other side of the harbour, but the taxi drivers will know the shortest route to get to that berth. If you are the independent type with a rucksack walking from the bus depot, chose your route with care, or ask a local, or you could end up walking miles without finding the cruise ship / public entry to the dock.

Adam Purser

Stanley, the Falklands

Kit List

Kit List for Tecla

THIS IS TECLA standard voyage kit list. Specialist Antarctic kit list to follow shortly

Included

Sailing instruction
Safety Equipment (Life jackets and harnesses)
All meals to including refreshments throughout the day.
Bed linen, duvet, pillows and towels.

What's Not Included

Travel to and from the start and end port.
Optional trips or tours taken ashore
Meals ashore
Alcoholic Beverages
Waterproof jacket and trousers
Personal towels

What to bring

There is limited storage space on Tecla so please pack all you belongings in a soft rucksack or bag.

Footwear: Shoes with a good grip e.g. trainers or sailing deck shoes. (Sandals are great for beaches but you do need toe protection for sailing). Tecla has steel decks so waterproof walking boots are fine at sea in moderate winds and dry conditions and great for voyages where you might do some rough terrain walking like Iceland and Scotland.
Rubber Boots or second pair of shoes for wet weather or getting in/out of dinghies.
Swim suit & beach towel
Suntan lotion & sunglasses
Sun hat / warm hat, scarves, gloves
Clothes that dry quickly like fleeces and thermals. Mix of warm, waterproof & windproof layers. Wool jumpers are warm, even when wet, but can take a while to dry. Merino wool type shirts are good for under layers.
Small rucksack for going ashore
Travel insurance documents/any travel tickets
Personal medicines/ spectacles/ seasick tablets –check which brand if you suffer from asthma or are on regular medication.
Camera/binoculars etc
Modest quantity of alcohol for evening meals
You are welcome to bring musical instruments

Review

This trip fulfilled my desire for adventure sailing as we transited the north coast of Iceland, along the Arctic Circle. Even though it was rough, the boat and crew performed admirably.
Bruce

An enjoyable week in less than ideal weather conditions. The crew were competent and friendly, the catering excellent. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a voyage on Tecla.
Jonathan

A great mix of sailing in Scottish waters, some super hikes and an opportunity to see some of the immensely important historical sites in the Orkneys and Sheltands.
Mooring alongside in the Fair Isles was a great privilege.
The ocean passage to the Faroes was quiet but as a result we were blessed with clear skies whilst slinking in and out of the islands and some of the best coastal views one could hope to see anywhere.
The ocean passage to Iceland was a bit of a bimble until we were 60 miles off and then it got exciting. Thanks to a great skipper and permanent crew we snuggled into a fjord whilst the cruise ship ran aground in Reykjavik harbour. A good holiday, an adventure and fun.
K

Any initial doubts as to the number and experience of the crew were very quickly dispelled and we were impressed with the knowledge and the handling skills of the skipper and the 2 mates. Every opportunity was taken to enhance our enjoyment on both voyages and at every stage we were made to feel relaxed and under no obligation to crew the ship under sometimes testing (but enjoyable) conditions. As an observation, we must congratulate the skipper for her culinary skills under difficult conditions..........the food was perfect for the voyage.
Geoff

A delight. A competent and engaging professional crew, an interesting voyage with some challenges and some great rewards. Good companions to make the log spin around.
Mike

Brilliant. I would do it again tomorrow. And good value too. The food was excellent. I loved the spicy meatballs and my wife loved the fresh langoustines.
Steve

Most enjoyable classic sailing with great food, a true sense of teamwork, great guidance and a good sense of humour. Can't get any better.
Thomas

Vessel Gallery

Globe trotting Tall Ship Tecla in action and images. This historic gaff ketch is our Iceland Specialist and also has Greenland Sailing Expeditions. Photos from Classic Sailing customers, ships crew and professional photographers. We hope it gives a flavour of her sailing, life on board, the people that come, her beautiful sailing grounds and what it is like to live below decks.