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David Gold. Photo: Ingrid Wollberg

An old dream

over 2 years ago
Written by Ronald Toppe
Life on board > An old dream

An old dream

over 2 years agoLife on board
Written by Ronald Toppe
David Gold. Photo: Ingrid Wollberg

David Gold has wanted to be on a sailing ship since he was a boy. Now the dream finally came true, but only just.

- It's kind of a funny story, says 72-year-old David Gold from Boston in the USA.

Together with a friend, he planned to sail with Statsraad Lehmkuhl to Shetland this summer. But the corona pandemic prevented them from coming to Norway, to board the ship.

Interested?

We should probably just get the tickets refunded then, the two thought at first. David called the office in Bergen.

- They said that the ship would soon be out on a new trip, It's the first leg of a wonderful trip around the world. It's just a little bit more money, but would you beinterested?

David talked to his friend, and the two decided to go. For David, it is an old dream coming true. When he was seven, his father took him aboard the naval vessel USS "Constitution" in Boston. The sailing ship was built in 1797, and is the second oldest naval vessel still in active duty.

David was impressed.

- I said to my dad, I will sail on a tall ship one day. The dream now became true.

USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Photo: Wikipedia
USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Photo: Wikipedia

Under sail

He's been lucky. The weather has been on the their side, and Statsraad Lehmkuhl has been under sail all the way to the Bay of Biscay.

The trip is over for David and his friend when the ship arrives in La Coruna, regretfully.

- If there is someway I can join the ship again, somewhere in the world at sometime, I am going to be on this ship, says David.

Teaching ship

He has been up in the rig and learned a lot about how to maneuver the sailing ship. Today, the helmsman explained to him how a sextant works.

- This ship is a teaching ship, and in a way there is a spirit of learning, a spirit of helping, a spirit of working your way througt things, and this is wonderful.

One Ocean logoUN logos

The One Ocean Expedition is a circumnavigation by the Norwegian tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl. We aim to to share knowledge about the crucial role of the ocean for a sustainable development in a global perspective.

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