Kalmar Nyckel

October 2023

I've been aboard a number of tall ships, but had never actually sailed on one. Now I can say that I have. The Kalmar Nyckel is a reproduction of its namesake that brought the Swedes to Delaware almost 400 years ago. We sailed from their shipyard in Wilmington along the Christina River passing through a number of drawbridges and learning about the history of this incredible vessel. A park ranger from the National Park Service happened to be aboard for the trip. When we returned, he invited us to take a walk to Old Swedes Historic Site for a tour. Of course, we took him up on it.

01 Kalmar Nyckel Sign
We arrived a little early to check out the Kalmar Nyckel museum before our sail
02 Kalmar Nyckel Museum
Browsing the Kalmar Nyckel museum before our sail
03 New Sweden Tapestry
The Swedes had a major influence in this part of the country
05 Kalmar Nyckel
Our tall ship, Kalmar Nyckel, awaits
06 Lion
Don't mess with the Kalmar Nyckel
07 Swedish Flag
The Swedish flag flies atop the Kalmar Nyckel
09 Rigging
The rigging on this ship is quite impressive
10 4th Street Bridge
The 4th Street Bridge will need to open for us to pass
11 View from Quarterdeck
We were lucky enough to have a park ranger on board with us to share some history
12 Herb Garden
How many tall ships have their own herb garden?
13 View from Quarterdeck
Looking down from the quarterdeck as we set sail
14 Rigging & Walnut Street Bridge
The Walnut Street Bridge opens to let us pass
16 Dugan Bridge
The Dugan Bridge is another drawbridge that opened for us
19 Sail
The Kalmar Nyckel's sails are massive
20 Bell
The ship's bell
21 History Talk
We learned some fascinating history as we sailed
22 Market Street Bridge
The Market Street Bridge is another that we passed through
24 Market Street Bridge
Passing through the open Market Street Bridge
26 Cannon
We did not fire upon anyone on the shore
27 Mast & Sail
I would not want to climb that mast!
28 Swedish Tercentenary Monument
The Swedish Tercentenary Monument
29 The Rocks
Walking by "The Rocks"
30 Landing of the Swedes Historic Marker
Nearly 400 years ago, the original Kalmar Kyckel landed here bringing the Swedes to Wilmington
32 Old Swedes Burial Ground
The park ranger took us though the Old Swedes Burial Ground
35 Organ
The organ inside Old Swedes Church
36 Stained Glass Window
One of the gorgeous stained glass windows in Old Swedes Church
37 Pews
Having attended church services, I can understand why you'd have to lock people into the pews!
38 Graffiti Door
The grafitti door has some historic carvings
40 Old Swedes Church
The exterior of Old Swedes Church
42 Oldest Stone in Old Swedes Burial Ground
The oldest headstone in Old Swedes Burial Ground
43 Hendrickson House Kitchen
The kitchen of Hendrickson House
44 Hendrickson House Kitchen
The walls in Hendrickson House are quite thick
46 Swedish Mural
This mural tells the story of the Swedes in Wilmington