SV ''Estelle'' is a

fair trade Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...

cargo

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

, currently the biggest

sail ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships ...

in Finnish register. She was built in

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of E ...

, Germany in 1922 as a 42-meter (137.8 feet), steel-hulled ship for trawl-fishing in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

. ''Estelle''s hometown is

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

. She was long owned by Eestaas and operated by Uusi Tuuli. Now she belongs to a "Ship to Gaza" company Northern Breeze AB, registered in Turku,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. ''Estelle'' was previously maintained by volunteers who had the desire to sail to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

to export assistance supplies and bring back fair trade goods and operate according to the ideals of

Fair Trade Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...

. She made her first trip to Africa in 2002, before which she also visited the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and some harbors of

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

. In addition, many of the ship's crew have been trained while sailing in the Baltic Sea. After her trip to

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, ''Estelle'' has mainly sailed in the Baltic Sea, participated in the Tall Ships Race of 2003, and collaborated with

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...

on research and campaign work. ''Estelle'' is also constantly training new crew members since it is open to practically any one. ''Estelle''s operations are primarily based on volunteers. Operations strive for environmental sustainability, solidarity and global equality. Since 2003, Prometheus camps have been organized on ''Estelle'' every summer as a non-religious alternative to confirmation camp. During the camp the boat tours around the archipelago near Turku. ''Estelle'' joined

Sail Training International Sail Training International (STI) is an international sail training organisation, with members in 29 countries. Its main aim is to train sailing skills to young people. It is based in Hampshire in the United Kingdom and is a registered charity.UK ...

's (STI) Class A Forum as a member during the spring of 2005. The forum is intended for training the crews of the world's largest sailboats, improving operations and other related development. On 27 April 2010, ''Estelle'' board member

Jyri Jaakkola Jyri Antero Jaakkola (February 11, 1977 – April 27, 2010) was a Finnish human rights activist. He was on his way to San Juan Copala, a village of indigenous Trique people that has declared itself autonomous, as a human rights observer when he ...

was killed by paramilitaries in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. In 2012, ''Estelle'' was sold to Swedish interests for an attempt to break the Gaza blockade.

Gaza mission

''Estelle'' departed for the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

to try to break Israel's maritime blockade in the summer of 2012. "We are sailing with peaceful intentions," a crew member said. ''Estelle'' is Swedish-owned, but Finnish-flagged ship. According to the Ship to Gaza organization, there are also eleven Swedes, two Finns, five Greeks, four Norwegians, three Israelis, three Spanish citizens, one Canadian and one Italian aboard. On October 20, 2012 the Israeli military seized the vessel without incident and took it to the port of

Ashdod Ashdod ( he, ''ʾašdōḏ''; ar, أسدود or إسدود ''ʾisdūd'' or '' ʾasdūd'' ; Philistine: 𐤀𐤔𐤃𐤃 *''ʾašdūd'') is the sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District, it lies on the Mediterran ...

. In August 2013 the state of Israel filed a petition to confiscate the vessel. In August 2016, the Israeli supreme court ruled that the state cannot confiscate the ''Estelle'', and ordered to state to pay NIS 40,000 to the ship's owner to cover court costs. ''Estelle'' is the latest in a series of vessels manned by activists who have tried to challenge Israel's blockade on Gaza, imposed after Hamas seized power in 2007.

References

External links

S/v Estelle's homepage

Estelle will sail along the shore of Finland in Summer 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estelle 1922 ships Individual sailing vessels