Tall Ship Sydney Harbor Cruise

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Tall Ship Cruise in the Sydney Harbor 

Hi, I’m Melanie and my assigned blog post was for the Sydney Harbor tour on the Tall Ship Cruise. I started off my day by getting my daypack ready with a towel and a water bottle. Once I gathered all of my things, I headed downstairs to meet a few friends for breakfast. We walked through the streets of Sydney and found a small panini cafe near the wharf. Once we got to the wharf, we were greeted by a very friendly man named Marty. Marty introduced himself as our skipper on the boat and helped each of us board the vessel. The ship looked like an old pirate ship and had a cannon sitting on the back of the boat. Once everyone was seated, Marty began by explaining a little bit about the ship we were on. The ship took 18 months to build and is 103 years old. The boat originated in Denmark and was used as a trading ship for grain for around 30 years. The ship has had 6 names throughout its life, with the most recent name change going from Svana to Southern Swan. Marty explained that with such a beautiful and historical ship, marketing would also play a large role in how much revenue the ship provided. The name Svana was extremely difficult for many tourists to pronounce and spell, making it more difficult to book the boat tour. He eventually changed the name to Southern Swan as Svana means swan and the ship has traveled throughout the southern oceans. The maritime museum showed great concern when he changed the name as in English tradition, changing a boat's name was seen as bad luck. Marty explained that in Nordic countries, it was quite the opposite, and changing the name was seen as good luck. After the ship was used for trading cargo, a man who was interested in superyachts bought the ship and sent her to race in the Atlantic Ocean. Once the ship was sold, it was used for tours in the Sydney Harbor to reenact colonizing Australia. Marty explained his love for the Svana and even met and married his wife aboard the ship.

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