Return to Tres Hombres
Almost three years ago, I stepped onto the brigantine Tres Hombres, an engineless cargo ship, as a volunteer crewman to sail across the Atlantic Ocean and back again. We visited a half dozen ports and come back with 40 tons of rum, cacao, and coffee. For almost 20 years the idealistic sailors who founded Fair Transport out of the Netherlands have been providing an example of living by one’s ideals. You can read more about my first season aboard in a prevous Best4Boats article I wrote in 2025. Now, as this article goes to press, I’m back in Europe and ready to hop on again for another stint aboard.
Sail Cargo as a Viable Industry
Shipping has always been a necessity. Today, almost everything we touch has traveled by container ship at some point. Modern shipping has a massive cost to the environment. While the world will probably never go back to all sailing ships, wind power has incrementally started to make its way back into shipping and not just in a niche business like Fair Transport. In the two years since I sailed on Tres Hombres, several more modern ships have been built from the hull up, primarily powered by sail with back up engines. These are still small compared to regular container ships, but much larger than Tres Hombres. Even multinational corporations like Cargill have retrofitted sails on some of their cargo ships and are experimenting with more. According to Jan Dieleman, President of Cargill Ocean Transportation, the price of fossil fuels will continue to drive their development and broader application. In summary, my work aboard Tres Hombres is not merely an exercise in nostalgia.
Tres Hombres is a 109’ brigantine with the cargo capacity of a bit more than a 40’ container. Each one of its cargos is a drop in the bucket compared to modern cargo ships, but that is not really the point with a ship like this.. She’s a beautiful vessel and draws eyes wherever she pulls in and with each stop and every product she transports she gets to tell her story. If that gets people to start thinking about the impact of shipping, then that’s a step forward for an industry that has largely become invisible from the general public. Unlike in the past where ships would be at the center of commerce and unload along the town wharf modern container ships and ports have evolved to separate people and cities from the maritime commerce that built them in the first place.
I was drawn to sail not so much for the mission, though I feel it a noble one, but because I love the ocean and history. Sailing this boat was the closest thing I could find to going back in time. There are accommodations for safety and modern navigation systems with a computer in the back and electric lights. Power is primarily supplied by solar and wind although there isa small portable generator just in case. Another modern amenity primarily for safety is a RIB with a 30-horsepower outboard. However, there is no refrigeration and no other propulsion on the ship beside sails. A crew from before the industrial revolution could walk on board and know how to sail her.
The voyage I took on her from November 2023 to May 2024 on my 40th year was life affirming. I loved being on the ship, on the water, and working side by side with the crew to learn the lines and make the ship sail properly. Years had passed since I’d done an adventure like that and after that half year, I told myself that I needed to fit as many of these experiences in before my body/age made it harder.
So, about two years after that voyage ended, I’m back. I can’t commit to the six months this time around. Instead, I’m joining them on half their summer voyage that involves transporting wine between the various countries along the North Sea, English Channel, through the Bay of Biscay, and back again.
I landed in Copenhagen a few days ago and in a few days will get on the ship. I’m a little nervous. I’ve done a bit of sailing since but not with the kind of regularity that would make getting back on board a breeze. There are well over 100 lines on the boat and perhaps the most training related thing I’ve been doing was to draw a map of the boat and laminate it so I could start refamiliarizing myself with the lines. I’ve also been tying a few knots that I don’t use in everyday life. It all came back faster than I hoped, but until I’m onboard, I’ll be nervous about how fast the practical skills learned in those six months will return.
There will be mostly new waters to me and mostly a new crew, though I’ll see a few familiar faces. I’m excited to mix it all up for an almost completely new adventure for Tres Hombres, round two.
https://fairtransport.eu/en/our-fleet/tres-hombres/
