The ‘Zénobe Gramme’ is retiring and will be sold by the Belgian navy in November to the highest bidder. The ‘Friends of the ‘Zenobe Gramme’ are launching a crowdfunding campaign to safeguard the ship from scrapping and return it to service as a sailing vessel.
The ‘Zenobe Gramme’ was built more than 60 years ago at the then Boel yard in Temse. The 28-metre twin-master of the Bermuda Ketch type (the front mast is the highest, while the mainsail and mizzen sail are longitudinally rigged), has since sailed some 410,000 nautical miles, or 19 times around the world. It is the only sailing ship to have sailed for the Belgian navy. More than 4,300 people sailed with it, led by 24 commanders, writes Defence.
So did Joeri Nobels, who sailed on several long voyages aboard the ‘Zenobe Gramme’ after his military service as a reservist. “I really learned the ropes aboard the Zenobe and have had a great passion for sailing ever since,” says Nobels. “Because of this, I was also a member of friends of the ‘Zenobe Gramme’ on Facebook, where we learned that the ship would be auctioned.”
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For students
“There was a lot of buzz on that Facebook group about the sale, but I didn’t see anyone taking the initiative to somehow save the ship from being scrapped, for example,” says Nobels. “We don’t actually expect the ship to be scrapped, because scrapping is very costly and labour-intensive. Just look at the scrapping of the navy ships ‘A960 Godetia’ and the ‘Zinnia’, which were scrapped a few years back. That cost the navy a lot of money then,” says Nobels.
Above all, Nobels wants the ship to stay in Belgium and be able to continue sailing. “I have no intention of buying the ship privately, but above all I want to be able to keep it,” says Nobels. “In what capacity or under what construction I consider secondary. We should mainly try to keep the ship in a good condition, acquire it somehow and make it available again to students at the Antwerp Maritime Academy, for example.”
Keeping it in good condition
There is no lack of enthusiasm for the ship, as evidenced by the numerous former crew members who joined the Facebook group ‘The friends of the Zenobe Gramme’: “I am convinced that we can get enough volunteers together to keep the ship in good condition,” says Nobels.
“The ship really does need maintenance at the moment. For instance, both the underwater hull and the deck need to be completely stripped of the old layers of paint and a nice new undercoat applied afterwards. For this, the ship will have to be taken out of the water. Not an easy job, as it is a large and heavy vessel for which, we believe, no cranes are available in Belgium. We will have to go to the Netherlands or France for this,” says Nobels.
“The ‘Zenobe Gramme’ has a rich history. Thousands of military personnel have sailed on it, the ship has even won the tall ships race. Apart from the ‘Nele’ and the ‘Rupel’, we don’t have that much sailing maritime heritage left. The ‘Zenobe’ could also be a perfect calling card for recruitment campaigns and as a representative ship of the navy.
Crowdfunding campaign
“The distinctive headsails of the ‘Zenobe Gramme’ with the colours of the navy on them are unfortunately, but understandably, not sold with it, because they are tied to the navy. Civilians are not allowed to sail around with those sails,” says Nobels.
Nobels, together with Danny Dangreau and the ‘Friends of the Zenobe Gramme’, is now starting a crowdfunding campaign and wants to raise some 200,000 euros. “I want to use that money initially to renovate the ship. I would be surprised if a private person turns up to purchase the ship. For now, I mainly want to plant a seed, bring people together and make sure we can preserve and renovate the ship as a group. The ship should be able to sail again. That way we could use it again to give young people a taste of sailing, living (together) at sea and navigating,” says Nobels.
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Training ship
“I have nocommercial intentions with the ship, but pure interest in putting it back into service in an educational way. The ship is equipped for navigation training, learning to plot waypoints, making travel plans and so on. There is a lot of commitment to be found among the former crew of the ‘Zenobe Gramme’ to put their shoulders to the wheel on this.”
Those wishing to support the crowdfunding campaign can go here.
