An old dream
An old dream
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.
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.