FOR THE NEXT few days you can take yourself along to the Cuauhtémoc, a Mexican tall ship currently docked at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay in Dublin.
Unlike the sort of thing you might normally expect normally with a modern navy, the ship serves a ceremonial purpose, and so is a little bit different.
To find out a bit more about the goings on aboard the 270 ft long 1,800 tonne ship, TheJournal.ie went down to speak to a few of the sailors who have made it here all the way from Mexico.
This gentleman is Ricardo and was offering tours around the boat. The 20-year-old was had been charged with looking after the boat today, but is looking forward to heading up to Temple Bar later in the week.
Most of the cadets on board the ship are aged between 18 and 22 and are taking part in the voyage as part of their training in the Mexican navy. They mostly stay on the ship for 6 months. Other crew members have been on board for longer – working as part of a core regular crew.
The ship is operated by a crew of 225 men and women and can be operated with a traditional system of ropes and sails – although does come with an auxiliary engine.
Although mostly Mexican, trainees on the ship are drawn from a variety of different nationalities. It is in Dublin as part of a five-day programme of engagements to strengthen the diplomatic relations between Ireland and Mexico.
On board the crew didn’t seem to have too much to do – mostly making sure tourists didn’t slip coming down off the gang plank.
After docking in Dublin, the ship will be sailing on to England and France before heading back towards Central America.
At one point the ‘Comandante’ of the ship, Pedro Mata, and the Mexican ambassador to Ireland, Carlos Garcia de Alba showed up. This led to everybody on the ship – tourists and visitors included – standing to attention, maintaining a respectable distance and saluting them as they embarked.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, on of the cadets on board, Tivurcio said that when there were no visitors around they mostly worked at keeping the ship in top condition and performing exercises on the masts.
Overall though he seemed to be enjoying how things were going.
I am very happy, it is a very beautiful experience… I am really happy to be here, in fact it is accomplishing my dream.
The cadets on board the ship that aren’t minding the ship get a chance to head out into whatever city they are stationed in.. So if you a few dapper looking representatives of the Mexican navy walking along the banks of the Liffey between now and the weekend – you’ll know why.
Guests can head along and pay a visit to the ship over the coming days, with it being opened from 10am to 7pm every day until Saturday and from 10am to 3pm on Sunday.
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