NRP Sagres participated, between July 9th and 10th, in the second edition of the “5 Sisters” Trophy, a competition created 50 years ago, during the celebrations of the Bicentennial of the Independence of the United States, which brought together the ships Eagle, of the United States Coast Guard, the Mircea, of the Romanian Navy, and the Gorch Fock, of the German Navy.
The regatta was composed of two distinct legs: a first of 20.4 nautical miles, sailed with wind from the stern, followed by a second of 36.8 nautical miles, in a closed bowline.
In the first leg, thanks to an effective strategy and a good sail of the canopy, NRP Sagres managed to overcome Eagle and Mircea, only behind Gorch Fock. However, in the second leg, played in a closed bowline, the intrinsic characteristics of each ship prevailed. The Gorch Fock, the most recent of the four boats currently in service and endowed with better sailing qualities, confirmed its favoritism and won the trophy, repeating the triumph achieved in the inaugural edition of 1976.
Despite the strong historical connection that unites these ships, the competition highlighted significant differences in performance. In a relatively short course, the final distances were expressive, demonstrating that, although they are “sisters”, they are not the same.
The “5 Sisters”, known internationally for having been built according to the same plans at the Blohm & Voss shipyards in Hamburg, also included the first Gorch Fock, formerly Tovarish, who served for decades in the Soviet Navy and later in the Ukrainian Navy. Currently, this ship is preserved as a museum ship in Germany, no longer returning to navigation.
The “5 Sisters” Trophy award ceremony took place today, July 12, in Boston, aboard the Gorch Fock, bringing together the captains and their entourages of the four sister boats, in a moment of great symbolism that reinforced the bonds of friendship, cooperation and tradition between these historic training ships.