ALBATROS SAILING PROGRAMME 2005 HERE
	1899:	Built for Capt. Jon Muller and used for cargo carrying between Holland and the Baltic. Survives World War I under Capt. Muller.
	1920:	Muller sells Albatros to Capt. Lolk from Svendborg (Dk).
	1933:	Lolk installs her first engine (80Hp)
	1941:	Lolk sells Albatros to Capt. Rasmussen from Hobro (DK)
	1941: - 1945:	Rasmussen keeps trading through World War II and uses Albatros to rescue Jews and political dissidents out of Nazi-occupied Denmark to neutral Sweden carrying back guns and explosives for the Danish Resistance crammed between her cargo.
	1964:	Rasmussen reduces rigging to steadying sails and installs a stronger engine.
	1978:	Capt. Rasmussen retires after 37 years on Albatros. Albatros laid up in Copenhagen.
	1980:	Capt. Ton Brouwer buys Albatros and sails her to Amsterdam.
	1983: - 1987:	Albatros undergoes a complete restoration under supervision of Germanischer Loyd.
	1987:	Albatros recommissioned as a sailing cargo vessel with classification GL 100 A4K.
	1987: - 1997:	Ton Brouwer captains the Albatros as Europe's last cargoship under sail in the Home Trade and the Baltic taking on disaffected youths as crew and sailing about 20,000 nautical miles per year to several ports around Northwest Europe.
	1990: - 1996:	Albatros becomes a regular visitor in the port of Wells-next-the-Sea bringing more than 100 cargos of soyabean meal from the continent.
	1997: - 1998:	Cargohold refurbished and Albatros is converted to a fully licensed sailing passenger ship.
	1998: - 2000:	Albatros chartered by Greenpeace and used as a waterborne venue for children's environmental education along the coast of Holland. August 2000: Albatros is officially invited to SAIL AMSTERDAM.
	2001:	Albatros based in Wells-next-the-Sea where members of Wells maritime community have formed a trust called "The Albatros Project" to support the use of the ship as an educational centre. In order to keep her commercially viable the Albatros is available for luxury cruises, sail training, executive development and corporate entertainment. She is suitably equipped for these different functions. Capacity: Cruising and sail training 16 guests. Day sailing offshore 36 guests, Day sailing inshore or quay side 75 guests.
Why Albatros?
On September 5th1996 the Dutch cargo ketch Albatros delivered 100 tons of soyabean meal from the Dutch port of Rotterdam to the North Norfolk port of Wells-next-the-Sea. Those who stood on the quay two days later and watched her sail back to Rotterdam were present at an historic moment. For Albatros, was the last sail driven cargo ship in Europe and this marked the end of her 98 year career as a freight carrier.
Wells-next-to-the-sea
Situated on the North Norfolk Coast, Wells is located in an 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' containing some of Europe's most extensive saltwater marshes. With miles of beach and teeming with birdlife, the area is ideal for those who wish to get away from the 'rat race' and walk/sail under a seemingly endless sky. Wells is a small port town with a long-standing commercial past. Although there has been a great deal of growth over the last thirty years, the original centre is relatively unchanged with a large green surrounded by fine Georgian buildings. Wells is best know for its magnificent beach which merges into that of Holkham to allow the walker hours of pleasure.4 North Norfolk has good infrastructure and Wells is just over thirty miles from the historical city of Norwich with its rapidly growing international airport and direct rail links with London and other major urban centres in both the UK and Europe.
Why Wells?
When the Albatros sailed out of the harbor in September 1996. It was the end of 500 years of handling cargo for the last commercial port in North Norfolk. For both it was the end of a unique relationship starting in 1990. Albatros had carried more than 100 cargoes to Wells. Her warps were time warps, her presence an echo of an earlier time (known now, except to the towns oldest inhabitants, from sepia photographs) when Wells quay was lined with two, three and four masted schooners, ketches and brigs. Her departure left an emotional as well as physical void and her special place in local history was duly commemorated on a tablet erected outside the Harbor Office.
Why the Albatros Project?
For most people the chance to sail on a ship like the Albatros is the stuff of dreams. We want to make it a reality for as many young people as possible, regardless of ability to pay. To do this we need to set up a fund so that those who have and those who do not, can both experience the unique thrill of shipboard activities. The Trust deed sets this out in black and white... to provide sail training, environmental education and such other marine based education and training as the trustees shall decide, to the schools and young people of East Anglia........ Behind this dry explanation lie endless opportunities for young people to touch, live and breathe in another time era, long forgotten by most of us. To work and play on a 33 metre ship built in 1899 and rigged as a gaff ketch. Fully rigged she will carry 415 sq metres of sail in almost infinite configurations, and her ability to catch the imagination of those who come into contact with her is equally infinite.
How can I help?
The Albatros has been transformed at a cost of £100,000 sterling from a cargo carrier to a school ship. She has recently been working with Greenpeace Holland in a program called Sailing for the Environment. The program ran from April to October and mainly involved day trips in inshore waters. The program is structured around five learning stations with teaching by volunteers under the guidance of a professional teacher. We urgently need volunteers to assist with this project. We also need to raise funds so that the needs of the children without the ability to pay can be met.
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