The Mexican Ship That Crossed The World To Turkey
A Trip and A Tour
On July 19, the Cuauhtémoc Sailing Tall Ship, also known as the Ambassador and Gentleman of the Seas, arrived at Istanbul’s port after nine months sailing across the world from Mexico to Turkey. By that point, the ship had already stopped at several ports, including Cuba, the United States, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, Colombia, Panama, Guatemala and Ecuador.
The Mexican government has selected Istanbul’s Sarayburnu port as a destination to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye. It also comes as a great opportunity for the people of Turkey to visit the ship for free and learn more about the history of Mexican sailing.
That’s when I decided with my friends to visit this ship and give you a tour of what we saw.
As I went with the Ferry across the Bosphorus, I could glimpse the ship and I snapped a picture of the entirety of it.
As I got closer, I could see the proud Mexican flag flying.
The ship’s interior is fairly complex and has a lot of pieces.
The first piece I came across was the ship’s beautifully crafted wheel. It had the unique style of mixing red and gold colors.
Next I could see the lifeboats that struck me as larger than I expected.
Here we can see the classic ship’s cleaning bucket that we see in old cartoons.
Here we can see the ship’s sails standing high.
Moving on, I hopped on a tour with a Mexican sailor. He explained so much about the ship, and his language of instruction was Spanish. Fortunately, I went there with my Mexican friend who could translate to me parts of his speech.
Then we entered the captain’s room where they do all the navigation work. The guide mentioned that there’s a telegraph that communicates between the navigation room and the engine’s room in case of failure.
Then we entered the inside of the ship, that’s where the ship’s purpose comes in. The ship is a training ship that sat sail from Acapulco Port in Mexico in April 2023, with a crew of 266, including 140 military students, as part of the “2023 Training and Education Voyage.” It’s basically a sailing school in the middle of the sea.
This is the main instruction hall where they get their training. It’s also supported by a projector and other teaching devices.
Out of the ship, there is more to discover. This is the ship’s defense system.
Overall, I enjoyed the tour and felt closer to the Mexican culture. I’m very grateful for this opportunity to connect with other cultures while living in Istanbul.
