THE SCHOONER SANTA EULÀLIA

In January 1919, a small schooner with three masts that was named Carmen Flores in honour of the daughter of the ship owner, Pascual Flores, was launched on the beach of Torrevieja. A year earlier, this same ship owner had built a small schooner that was almost the same, bearing the name of his son, Pascual Flores. The history of this ship is the history of the last period of the Spanish sailing fleet and cabotage along our coasts.

For a decade the Carmen Flores was a pure sailing boat, dedicated to Mediterranean cabotage, though it also made two journeys to the island of Cuba. In 1928 the ship was given an auxiliary engine, lost a mast and was used as a motorsailer for many years, first as Puerto de Palma and as of 1936 as Cala San Vicenç. In 1975, when most of the ships of its class and period had been lost or destroyed, it began to work as an auxiliary ship of a company doing underwater work, now under the name Sayremar Uno. The Maritime Museum of Barcelona bought it by auction in 1997.

With this acquisition the museum faced one of the most important and difficult challenges of its history: the recovery and restoration of a historic ship following the strictest criteria of protection of the heritage culture. This operation, which was pioneering in Spain, was also intended as the first step in the recovery of our valuable floating heritage.

First, all types of historical and technical information were gathered in order to obtain a good idea of the original appearance of the ship, and to draw up the Restoration Plan and the plans of the ship. Then, in 1998 the restoration process began, conserving as much as possible. Some new parts had to be made, such as the masts and rigging. It was also planned to make the ship fully operative, so that when restored the small schooner would not be a static element but would be a seaworthy vessel.

The Maritime Museum of Barcelona has made a great investment in the restoration of the ship, especially to ensure that it is a safe ship for sailing and to guarantee its future conservation in the best condition. This means that all kinds of action has been taken. The best materials were used to build the masts and superstructures and the highest levels of safety were sought at all times, sparing neither money nor efforts in this area. Here, as in environmental questions, the Maritime Museum wishes to give an example and to serve as a model for similar projects.

The Santa Eulàlia, as it has been renamed, will be the flagship of the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, but it is also intended that it will be the ambassador of the city and of the country on the world's seas. It will also be a fundamental element in all types of educational programmes and teaching and civic activities related to our sea.

The official presentation of the schooner Santa Eulàlia was held at the Salt Route Regatta, which left the port of Barcelona at 12 am on 12 April 2001.

Technical characteristics