1st Meeting of Medieval Sailing Ships in Wismar 2006

Everybody who walks along the quai walls of the city habour or participates in one of the annual maritime events like the Schwedenkopfregatta, the Lichterfahrt of the traditional ships or the habour celebration, can see that the Hanseatic town Wismar does the one's best for the representation of her maritime heritage and presence.
On the occasion of the inauguration of their medieval cog "Wissemara" the people of Wismar organized something very special. Ship lovers from all over the region have had the dream for long time to see and experience the today's reconstructions of medieval sailing ships together on the water. In Wismar it happened, we had the first meeting of Hanseatic cogs.
In the fleet of Hanseatic cogs sailed the "Ubena von Bremen", the "Roland von Bremen" and the "Hansekogge" from Kiel, which joined the Baltic Hanseatic cog "Wissemara" on her maiden voyage to Rostock. Also the Kraweel "Lisa von Lübeck", the historic successor of the cogs, suited very well into the show of medieval sailing ships. In addition the Russian "Shtandart", a replica of the flagship of Czar Peter the Great, a frigate of the 18th century, joined the convoy.
They started in the city habour of Wismar, where the Hanseatic cogs said goodbye under the fire of many cannons. When they have passed the island Poel the medival sailing ships hoisted their sails. The passage to Rostock took several hours meanwhile I took these photos. Rostock, already in anticipation to the this year's Hanse Sail, have the convoy of cogs a great welcome. Off Warnemünde the Hanseatic cogs and further sailing ships formed a line. So they passed the cruise liners mooring in Rostock Warnemünde and went under sails along the cranes and halls of the shipyards and the seaport of Rostock up the river into the city's inner habour. Arriving there a lot of sailing ships were already there. An exotic participant of the Hanse Sail was the "Kublai's Kahn II", an Asiatic freighting ship converted into an adventurous 4-masted junk.

Thank you very much to the crew of the "Hohwacht II". After a varied life as patrol boat the "Hohwacht II" is used as training ship of the Marine Reservist Association in the North and Baltic Sea today. http://www.mk-hohwacht.de/