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Join a sailing adventure on a Tall Ship and set course for new horizons!

Kiel (DE) - Kiel (DE)

18 July - 27 July 2025

9 days, Hendrika Bartelds

From € 750,-

Book this journey

Exchange@sea Powered by Erasmus+ Sail Training

15-25: € 750,-
26-28 (at request): € 1000,-

Book this journey

Hendrika Bartelds:
Kiel (DE) - Kiel (DE)

18 July - 27 July 2025

On the Right Tack: Against Pollution. Sustainable Exchange@sea.
Step on board the stunning Hendrika Bartelds and embark on an international sailing adventure! Join the ship in Kiel, Germany, and enjoy the local waters before taking course for Denmark. Discover seaside towns and out-of-the-way islands, exploring the waters of the Baltic Sea on a tall ship. Engage in coastal cleanups and plastic research of the sea with The Ocean Movement. Get to know trainees from other countries, and share your own culture with them, supported by Windseeker mentors. Make lifetime memories while you sail on the right tack: against pollution!
For trainees aged 15-25 (26-28 at request) from: Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Sweden.

About the Journey

Join Hendrika Bartelds for an exploration of the Danish Islands on the Baltic Sea. Step on board in Kiel and get to know the ship and crew, learning safety protocols and running drills before setting sail. Join the other trainees in climbing the masts to unpack the square sails, and take a moment to admire the views! Not a fan of heights? Hoist the sails, steer the ship, and plot your course on navigation charts – there’s never a dull moment!

Deploy the Manta Trawl to collect water samples, and analyse them with The Ocean Movement scientist, contributing to a global citizen science project. Land on islands and organise beach clean-ups, making sure to leave each place cleaner than you’ve found it. Learn about marine life and the ecosystem of the Baltic Sea. Join the workshop to make your own plastic-free cosmetics and share the best environmental practices from your country, while learning about the others’.

Get to know other young people from around Europe, living and sailing together with six nationalities. Help the cook prepare your national meal for everyone and try international dishes made by the others. Join fun activities prepared by the mentors on board, and engage the local public on land, showing off Hendrika Bartelds and your project. Spend the quiet night watches talking about the similarities and differences between your cultures, and leave the ship with new, international friends.

No budget? No problem! The Windseeker Dinghy will help you get on board. More than just fundraising training, Dinghy is a personal development program, and is included in the Exchanges. With the guidance of an experienced coach, you'll raise funds for your journey while learning valuable life skills and discovering new things about yourself. It’s also a fantastic way to connect with other trainees before your adventure begins. Simply let us know during booking if you’d like to part.

Ports

Kiel is a German port town on the Baltic coast, widely known for its yearly ‘Kiel week’ – the biggest yearly regatta in the world! Many thousands of boats and ships of all kinds and eras take part in the parade. Kiel Week is also a festival, Volksfest and fair as well as a maritime event. But Kiel offers more: a slew of museums (zoological, geological, historical, fine art, industrial, and military museums), a city centre with relaxed atmosphere, and the water and shores of the Kieler Fjord.

Kiel is a German port town on the Baltic coast, widely known for its yearly ‘Kiel week’ – the biggest yearly regatta in the world! Many thousands of boats and ships of all kinds and eras take part in the parade. Kiel Week is also a festival, Volksfest and fair as well as a maritime event. But Kiel offers more: a slew of museums (zoological, geological, historical, fine art, industrial, and military museums), a city centre with relaxed atmosphere, and the water and shores of the Kieler Fjord.

  • Kiel (DE)

  • Kiel (DE)

Sponsorship and costs

This journey is co-founded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The subsidized youth price for this journey is € 750,- per trainee instead of the regular price of € 999.

Traveling to-and-from the ports will be reimbursed by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union. Reimbursement up to a certain amount, depending on the trainee’s country (according to the rules of the Erasmus+ Program).

Maximum possible reimbursement depending on the country of origin and mode of transport (there is a higher subsidy for green travel options). The reimbursement will take place several months after the journey, based on receipts and tickets.

The participants of this and other Erasmus+ journeys can join the Dinghy fundraising program for free (without the usual € 75 fee.)

Key points

  • Dates: 18 July 2025 - 27 July 2025
  • Embarkation: 20:00 / Disembarkation: 10:00
  • For Windseekers 15-25 years, age 26-28 at request
  • Participating countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Sweden
  • Windseekers joining: maximum 28
  • No sailing experience required!
  • Official language on board: English
  • Price includes: accommodation and meals, excludes drinks at the bar
  • Travel to-and-from the ports will be reimbursed under Erasmus+ regulations (rules apply)
  • Windseekers need to have a health insurance and a travel insurance
  • Need to take with you on board: sleeping bag and towels
  • Participants might need to become members of their National Sail Training Associations (any additional fees for this are included in the journey price).
  • "I liked to be offline for a few days."

    Maria (19), Germany

You sail on the Hendrika Bartelds

Shipping type: Schooner
Homeport:
Date built: 1917
Trainees: 24-34
Length: 49 m
Height of mast: 28 m
Sail: 645 m2

Hendrika Bartelds is a three-masted gaff-top sailing schooner, which means that the ship is equipped with 3 masts and has gaff sails. If the weather permits, top sails can be placed over the gaff sails. The type of hull is …

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Windseeker logs

  • A Few Moments of Peace

    Morgenster, September 2014

    Baltic Sea

    – by Windseeker Jan

    "There were dolphins!”, my watch mate told me when I emerged from my cabin. “Hundreds of them! Jumping and blowing! You missed them!” I thought he was pulling my leg, but apparently he wasn’t. When seasickness claims you, you miss …

    Read log
  • We embraced the square sails

    – by

    Climbing the mast was an experience. We got to know the boat from a different perspective. There was a lot of wind in the mast for example. We all stepped a bit our of our comfort zones. We also learned …

    Read log

Photos

  • Dolphins
See more

OTHER JOURNEYS YOU MIGHT LIKE

STO Garant

This Journey is covered by the STO Garant guarantee. You can find the conditions for this guarantee scheme on STO Garant’s website (www.sto-garant.nl/en/downloads).

This process is automatic and you do not need to do anything else. After receiving your booking, Windseeker will send you detailed information on how and when to pay for your journey – together with all the other important details.

 

What does it mean?

In short: you do not pay the booking amount to Windseeker but instead into an escrow account. This trust account holds your payment in reserve until your journey’s end. The booking amount is then released to Windseeker on the day after your trip ends. If Windseeker or the Ship should become financially insolvent before the end of your trip, STO Garant will implement the guarantee. The Guarantee Scheme details how you can make a claim under the guarantee in such cases. You can read more about this here.