display
Emden (dpa) - Just set sail and escape the corona pandemic with a three-master: What may sound like a sweet and distant holiday dream in lockdown is for 33 schoolchildren on board their “floating classroom”, the school ship “Pelican of London », came true in the past six months.
Crossing the Atlantic instead of homeschooling, staying instead of sitting in online conferences - the group of students sailed along the European west coast to Gibraltar, then on to the Canary Islands, the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal to Costa Rica and back.
Experienced sailors and three instructors accompanied them.
On Saturday lunchtime, the students, mostly tenth graders, returned to Germany after having crossed the Atlantic twice.
The tall ship entered the port of Emden around noon - the voyage had also started there in early October, before the second lockdown.
Overjoyed, with cheers and many tears of joy, parents and siblings welcomed their family members who had traveled from far away at the harbor quay.
The federal police monitored the arrival and compliance with the corona rules.
"I'm amazed that it was possible," said Cindy-Patricia Heine, chairwoman of the Lower Saxony State Parents' Council, about the trip amid the pandemic.
The young people could have valuable experiences and in principle it would be nice if students were given such experiences.
But she also warned: In terms of educational equity, it is not ideal, many people do not have the financial means.
And indeed: six months at sea with the “Pelican of London” is not cheap, the floating school costs around 25,000 euros, according to Ocean College, which organized the trip.
display
At the start of the fall, the students had virtually "sailed away" from the lockdown, as Ocean College managing director Johan Kegler said.
In addition to the lessons, excursions and sailing the "Pelican of London" were part of everyday life.
On their trip, the students covered around 14,500 nautical miles (around 26,000 kilometers).
"Sad and happy," said 15-year-old Martha Dingeldein from Berlin after her return.
"We were like a family," said the student of the solidarity on board the sailor.
At the same time, however, she is happy to finally see her own family again.
The corona pandemic is causing her uncertainty: "Going home again and knowing that it is no longer like on board, where you can just hug everyone, that will be difficult," said Martha.
On board, largely without telephone and internet, the pandemic hardly played a role, said Finja Blatt from Stuttgart.
"We had a little bubble to ourselves and didn't notice that much of Corona," said the 14-year-old.
There was no mask requirement on board.
Corona tests were carried out when going ashore.
Everyday school life starts again for the first returnees on Monday.
"That will certainly be a challenge for some," said Kegler.
display
The basic principle of Ocean College is to make students accountable, he explained.
"We believe that the normal school is simply too theory-heavy."
Kegler was convinced that the place was the best teacher.
Therefore, the crew always tries to combine practice and theory on the trip: The language on board is English, knowledge of geography is always in demand and sailing only works with mathematics - without GPS, instead with arithmetic and sextant.
State Parents' Council Chairman Heine said that extracurricular learning locations might have to be more closely involved and that schools should be experienced differently.
A ship stands for togetherness and for one another: "We are completely losing that at the moment."
She is happy for the young people who have had “valuable and experience-rich time”.
In Germany there are other offers for young people to learn to sail on traditional tall ships.
These include trips on the "Alexander von Humboldt II" or the "Fritjof Nansen".
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210411-99-160375 / 2
display
Ocean College website
Travel blog of the trip 2020/2021
Sailing on the Alexander von Humboldt II
Sailing on the Fridtjof Nansen