Kaisei (ship)
| STS Kaisei | |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Kaisei |
| Builder: | Interster Elbląg Shipyard, Gdańsk, Poland |
| Launched: | 1987 |
| Homeport: | St. John's, Antigua |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2025[update] |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Brigantine |
| Displacement: | 180 long tons (183 t) |
| Length: | 151 ft (46 m) sparred |
| Beam: | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Draft: | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
| Propulsion: | 8,500 sq ft (790 m²) of sails |
The STS Kaisei (海星), meaning “Sea Star” in the Japanese language, is a steel-hulled brigantine designed by Zygmunt Choreń and built in Gdańsk, Poland in 1987. A two-masted vessel, square rigged on the foremast, with fore-and-aft sails on the mainmast
Contents
History
Originally commissioned by the Polish Yachting Association as the Zew, she was acquired by the Sail Training Association of Japan (STAJ) and delivered to Japan via the Panama Canal in 1993 following a 16-month maiden voyage under the United Nations flag in which she saw 100-knot (190 km/h) winds off the coast of Scotland and participated in the American Tall Ship Celebration in 1992.
Name origin
It has been suggested that the ship's name 'kaisei' could also be a play on words, with the word meaning "reform" in Japanese (written "改正").
Trips
Under the Japanese flag, she has visited 15 countries and has traveled extensively throughout the Pacific in her mission to promote the global community and bring countries and cultures together through the international language of the sea. She has covered roughly 40,000 nautical miles (around 80,000 km).
In 1992 sailed with the Columbus fleet, flying the UN flag. Kaisei's maiden voyage lasted 16 months throughout Europe, East Coast US, Caribbean, Panama Canal, West Coast US and Pacific Islands covering 57,000 km. During this time period, the vessel flew the United Nations flag. Under Japanese flag she traveled throughout the Pacific and Asia. Carried over 10,000 trainees during the 14 year period.
Ocean Voyages Institute acquisition
She has been acquired by Ocean Voyages Institute in Sausalito, CA, who hopes to continue her in her mission of global understanding, initially operating out of Southern California with trips Central America and West to the South Pacific. Though she has made some appearances at tall ship events, Ocean Voyages has not been able to set up a viable program using the vessel.
In August 2009, Kaisei embarked from San Francisco on a month long voyage for the Ocean Voyages Institute as part of "Project Kaisei", a mission to study the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
See also
External links
- Spotting World cleanup
- All pages needing cleanup
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2025
- Articles with invalid date parameter in template
- All articles containing potentially dated statements
- School ships
- Tall ships
- Tall ships of Japan
- Tall ships of Poland
- Tall ships of the United States
- Vessels of the American Sail Training Association
- Brigantines
