Sail training vessel Cuauhtémoc arrives in Germany

The sail training vessel Cuauhtémoc, whose mission is to train naval cadets and send a message of friendship and peace from the Mexican people to the rest of the world, will be open to German visitors in Hamburg’s and Bremerhaven’s dockyard.

As a part of the activities of the Mexico-Germany Dual Year, the sail training vessel Cuauhtémoc (named after the last Aztec emperor, Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc, who was captured and executed in 1525) is stopping in Germany during its “Ibero-Atlantic Tour 2016”, and will be open to visitors between the 17th and the 22nd of June in Hamburg and between the 23rd and the 28th in Bremerhaven.

The vessel has been doing world tours since 1982, the year it was built, and it is described by its captain, Pedro Mata Cervantes, as “a way of making Mexicans proud of their country and their people, as well as representing them in the best way possible, by showing really who we are: a modern, pacific, hard-working and kind country”. In the vessel, 90 final-year students practice their sailing and technic skills, but their main goal is to travel around the world representing their country: the cadets take part in many cultural and diplomatic activities, visiting the corresponding authorities, discovering museums and other cultural venues and helping local tourists who wish to visit the boat, which is a one-of-a-kind piece of art, and learn about the Mexican Navy’s crew and activities.

The ship, popularly known as “The Ambassador and Knight of the Seas” has already done over 684.000 nautical miles, which is equivalent to 33 complete tours around the world. As a sailing ambassador, the vessel helps to strengthen ties between the countries it visits and its fatherland, Mexico. Thanks to the interaction between the Mexican cadets and the locals, bridges between cultures can be made and expanded. The vessel usually attracts a great number of visitors, who come to discover one of Mexico’s national prides. It is therefore a good means to bring an important element of this Central American country closer to Germany, which is the main target of the Mexico-Germany Dual Year that has been taking place since January.