Former smuggler ship visiting Farsund

The Dutch sailing ship TX-51 arrived in Farsund earlier than expected on Wednesday afternoon, due to changed weather conditions.

Project manager for Kaperuka, Kjell Rune Nakkestad, thinks that was perfectly fine.

- They were actually supposed to arrive on Tuesday, but because of the weather they chose to turn around in Flekkefjord and came here instead. It's very nice, he adds Lists24.

TX-51, which also visited Farsund in 2022, is an important part of this year's Kaperuka festival which starts next week. While last time the arrival was celebrated with great festivity and singing from the shanty choir, this year the reception was more subdued and improvised due to the earlier arrival.

THE CREW on board consists of paying fellow sailors who are replaced halfway through the festival. This means that two sets of crew get the opportunity to experience the many activities in Farsund in the coming days.

The ship, a two-masted schooner, will be docked at Jansen's plan until the end of the Privateer Game on Sunday 14 July. The TX-51 was launched in the Netherlands on 1 December 1939 and has a fascinating history stretching back to the Second World War. Originally built as a fishing vessel, it was also used as a patrol vessel by the German occupiers during the war before returning to fishing activities after the war.

IN THE 1970s the ship was sold and used for arms and drug smuggling between Lebanon and Morocco. After the arrest of the smugglers, the ship lay unused for a long period before it was put into use as an offshore vessel for divers at oil rigs. From 1995 to 2005, the TX-51 underwent an extensive restoration, and in 2016 it was purchased by Michel van't Zand, who now has it in Scheveningen, the Netherlands.

The TX-51, with its rich history and impressive appearance, gives the Kaperuka Festival an authentic maritime atmosphere. Both residents and visitors to Farsund can look forward to experiencing this historic ship and the many exciting activities that the festival offers in the coming days.