Used as a training vessel by the National Institute for Sea Training, the new Nippon Maru set sail in 1984, replacing the older, aging Nippon Maru. The new Nippon Maru was the first large sailing vessel to be built entirely in Japan - from rig design through construction. With rig performance noticeably superior to the earlier Nippon Maru, the new Nippon Maru is one of the world’s fastest sailing vessels, winning the Boston Teapot Trophy, awarded to the year’s fastest sailing vessel, three times: in 1986,
1989, and 1993.

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The scourge of Europe from roughly the ninth through the 11th centuries, the Vikings and their fast, seaworthy vessels are said to have reached as far as North America around 500 years before Columbus. These craft were characterized by a single central mast about 20 meters high and a single sail. A partially preserved vessel has been discovered on the shores of Norway’s Oslo Fjord.

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The Akogare was built in 1993 as a training vessel for use by the city of Osaka in international marine training. Since 1994, it has been used in sailing training programs open to all participants aged 10 years and above. In addition to training professional sailors and educating young people in general, it also is used for purposes such as corporate training. In 2000, it was the first Japanese vessel to circle the world by traveling eastward passing through Europe.

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Built in 1937 by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany, the Sagres II began life as a German Navy training vessel known as the Albert Leo Schlageter. Damaged in World War II, she was subsequently confiscated by the United States and given to Brazil, where she served through 1961 as a training vessel under the name Guanabara. Following a sale to the Portuguese Navy, she became the training vessel Sagres II, a role that continues through today. Her name comes from the Sagres Cape, the site of the world’s first marine school, established by Prince Henry the Navigator in the 15th century. Its sails feature the Cross of Malta, which was emblazoned on sails of Portuguese vessels during the Age of Discovery.

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