Cádiz, (EFE).- The Spanish Navy school ship “Juan Sebastián Elcano” has returned this Friday to the port of Cádiz, where it has been received by authorities, relatives of crew members and the general public, after finishing its 95th training cruise.
The schooner brig has completed 189 days of travel, which began on January 14. And she has received it in port by the chief of staff of the fleet, Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano, and the mayor of Cádiz, Bruno García, as well as other local authorities.
On this trip, the Juan Sebastián Elcano has visited the ports of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Punta Arenas (Chile), El Callao (Peru), Cartagena de Indias (Colombia), Puerto Limón (Costa Rica), Pensacola (United States) and New York (United States).
On board the ship were the 74 midshipmen from promotions 425 of the General Corps and 155 of the Marine Corps who, on July 12, after arriving in Marín, joined the Naval Military School once again, once the objective of acquiring their naval training in these six months was met.
The 167 sailors of the permanent crew of the schooner brig have completed the trip to Cádiz.
Absentee ballot
Most of them live in the province of Cádiz, so they arrive home in time to vote at the polling stations that correspond to them, since only about twenty of them, who live outside the province, have made use of the special mechanism that Defense deploys so that the military on international missions or on ships can exercise their right to vote by mail.
Hundreds of relatives have gathered at the port to welcome them with applause, banners and balloons, and with the soundtrack of two music bands, one on land and the other on the ship, which alternated to accompany the emotion of the landing of the sailors.
“Raúl, there is no better trip than the one back home”, “Welcome Diego and José, we are proud”, and even a “Welcome Bichota, let the streets and bars tremble” read on some of the banners that have been displayed on the return of the Elcano ship to Cádiz.
The Chief of the Fleet Staff, Ignacio Villanueva Serrano, welcomed them and congratulated them on having completed a 19,000-mile journey in which “you have navigated through exciting and demanding areas and achieved historic milestones”, as they are the first Elcano crew to sail across Cape Horn.
Sailing Cape Horn
The 95th training cruise has been marked by a milestone, the fact that, for the first time in its history, it has sailed across the mythical Cape Horn, one of the best-known geographical points, and feared by sailors around the world, due to its winds, large waves or the presence of icebergs.
The welcome ceremony featured a speech by the new mayor of Cádiz, the popular Bruno García, who welcomed them to “the city that loves you”, recognition for “the daily work in favor of our navy, and gratitude for “always carrying Cádiz and Spain as the flag” as “a land of harmony”.
During its brief stay in the port of Cádiz, the “Juan Sebastián Elcano” will be open to public visits from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., when, taking advantage of the tide, it will set sail for its base in La Carraca, in San Fernando.
The ship is under the command of Captain Manuel García Ruiz who, on July 27 and when the period of command ends, will be replaced by Luis Carreras-Presas do Campo. EFE