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.

We arrived a little early to check out the Kalmar Nyckel museum before our sail

Browsing the Kalmar Nyckel museum before our sail

The Swedes had a major influence in this part of the country

Our tall ship, Kalmar Nyckel, awaits

Don't mess with the Kalmar Nyckel

The Swedish flag flies atop the Kalmar Nyckel

The rigging on this ship is quite impressive

The 4th Street Bridge will need to open for us to pass

We were lucky enough to have a park ranger on board with us to share some history

How many tall ships have their own herb garden?

Looking down from the quarterdeck as we set sail

The Walnut Street Bridge opens to let us pass

The Dugan Bridge is another drawbridge that opened for us

The Kalmar Nyckel's sails are massive

The ship's bell

We learned some fascinating history as we sailed

The Market Street Bridge is another that we passed through

Passing through the open Market Street Bridge

We did not fire upon anyone on the shore

I would not want to climb that mast!

The Swedish Tercentenary Monument

Walking by "The Rocks"

Nearly 400 years ago, the original Kalmar Kyckel landed here bringing the Swedes to Wilmington

The park ranger took us though the Old Swedes Burial Ground

The organ inside Old Swedes Church

One of the gorgeous stained glass windows in Old Swedes Church

Having attended church services, I can understand why you'd have to lock people into the pews!

The grafitti door has some historic carvings

The exterior of Old Swedes Church

The oldest headstone in Old Swedes Burial Ground

The kitchen of Hendrickson House

The walls in Hendrickson House are quite thick

This mural tells the story of the Swedes in Wilmington