Story

The Clipper Stad Amsterdam is a vessel with a story. It all started during the SAIL Amsterdam 1995 event, when five municipal councillors were travelling by barge from the VOC-ship Amsterdam to the mayor’s official residence. “Wouldn’t it be great,” one of them said, “to build another of those great sailing ships from the past, as a symbol of the commercial spirit of the city of Amsterdam?” The merchant trading vessel Amsterdam, built in 1854 served as inspiration but the Clipper Stad Amsterdam was to be much more than a ‘copy’. She would be lovingly hand-crafted, working from plans of authentic nineteenth-century clipper ships while also incorporating the most advanced technologies on board. In December 1997, work on the steel hull commenced at the Oranjewerf dockyard in Amsterdam. Upon completion in December 1998, the frame was moved to Amsterdam’s Dutch Maritime Museum, where the rest of the ship was built. Her radiant woodwork, lavish copper trimmings, impressive circular staircase and graceful details all demonstrated the height of modern Dutch craftsmanship, as well as respect for the authentic atmosphere of a Victorian vessel. The Clipper Stad Amsterdam was launched in 2000. Rita Kok, wife of the serving prime minister Wim Kok, christened the ship and the clipper was revealed to the public for the first time during the SAIL Amsterdam 2000 event. As a training vessel and passenger ship, the Clipper Stad Amsterdam transports guests across the world’s seas each year in a style all of her own. She also frequently participates in Tall Ships Races and sailing events, and is chartered out for business events.