The school ship Amerigo Vespucci after 20 days of sailing, she arrived in Hamilton, the capital of the island of Bermuda, a British overseas territory where the Navy had not stopped for 16 years.
Set off last May 10 from the Portuguese city of Funchal, she undertook the Atlantic navigation that allowed the crew to plan and carry out all the preparatory activities for the participation of the Vespucci ship in the events that will take place in Canada and in the United States.
Education and training, objectives of the education campaign, were particularly intense for the 79 students of the four-year fixed firm - VFP4, who, day after day, acquired more and more knowledge and values related to the seafaring art. Recognizing the winds and knots, climbing the masts of the ship, maneuvering the rudder, allowed them to fully integrate with the ship's crew, thus helping to form a single winning team.
The long crossing was therefore a moment of professional and personal growth, during which the young students not only put into practice what they had studied at school, but also measured their abilities and limits, learning to know themselves better.
The ocean navigation accompanied by favorable winds and sometimes by slightly agitated waters, gave unforgettable moments to all the crew, such as the choreography of the dolphins that anticipated or crossed the ship's course, the night show of the sky entirely covered with stars and the salutation of the sun that seemed to be swallowed by the sea, giving life to enchanting sunsets with pink clouds.
In Hamilton since the first days of rest, the 'most beautiful ship in the world' has been visited by the local population and in particular by the Italian community on the island. The 'Lady of the Seas' was also the backdrop to the Tall Ships Race, the second stage of the Education Campaign after the Sines one, which this year coincides with the Louis Vuitton Cup regattas.
Even the consul general of Italy in New York Francesco Genuardi, who attended the press conference held on board last May 30, visited the ship expressing his personal pride in hosting a piece of 'homeland'.
"Go to heaven if you wish. I prefer to stay in Bermuda"wrote the American writer Mark Twain speaking of this wonderful archipelago of 181 islands whose arrangement resembles a 'fish hook'. An aquatic world full of natural caves, pink sand and lush tropical vegetation.
The Amerigo Vespucci set sail on June 5th for Halifax, Canada, where it will arrive on June 11th, to then continue towards two other Canadian stops, Montreal and Quebec City, which will be followed by Boston and New York in the United States.
