Ernestine

ILaunched in 1899 in Wolin as “Seequatze”, two years later she was registered in Szczecin as “Hildegard”. She served as a vessel for transporting live fish on the Baltic Sea, without an auxiliary engine. She was a typical representative of the so-called “Quatzen” – vessels with a hull design that allowed a constant flow of water, keeping the fish fresh during the voyage.

After World War II, she sailed as “WOG 100”, but the development of refrigeration meant that such ships lost their significance. Eventually, she was decommissioned and fell into disrepair.

In the 1970s, the vessel was rebuilt and relaunched in 1977 under the name “Ernestine”, transformed into a sailing ship. Since 2006, she has been sailing the Baltic Sea again with guests on board, echoing her original form.

In 2011, she won the Hanse Sail regatta as the fastest single-masted vessel. Today, her home port is Lauterbach on Rügen.