kalmar nyckel foundation

It was a nice sail and if you wanted to be involved in hoisting the sails you could. I just think it is a little overpriced for a ride around the bay in circles. I would have like more of the history of the surrounding towns added to the history of the boat.

I had been waiting a year for the opportunity to sail on the Kalmar Nyckel as I am a descendant of a crew member from the maiden voyage during 1638. My wife and I drove down from Philadelphia to take the day sail from the Lewes, DE port and we really enjoyed ourselves. Once the ship was away from the dock, the passengers assisted the crew in hoisting the sails and the ride on the bay was very smooth. My only diasppointment was that we just circled around for a couple of hours and never really left the port. Had I known that, I would have taken a river trip when the boat was in Wilmington and saved all the driving. Still, it is an authentic replica of the ship it was exciting to be on the ship under the power of her sails. One advantage of the Lewes location is that five or six dolphins followed us around the bay. We would not have had that on the river cruise. Finally, there was a restroom on board and canned drinks or snacks (chips/cookies) were available for $1.00 each.

This is a beautiful recreation of a swedish sailing vessel built in the 1600's that sailed to and from Sweden to American . Its a wonderful 2.5 hour cruise! The ship is manned by seasoned crew and volunteers and its a amazing watching them work on the ship dropping and hoisting the sails! The crew is fun and loves to teach! We celebrated my mothers 80th birthday with a family cruise and it was great for everyone. Ours was a"Pirate cruise" with people on coustume and really fun for the kids !!! The ship docks in Lewes DE but also sails from other locations along the eastern seaboard during the summer months ! They have sunset cruises as well and we plan on one next summer. Highly recommend!

We boarded the ship at the Lewes Ferry dock. Very impressive on site, looks every bit of a ship from 1625, loved the carvings. We bought our tickets on-line at 60.00 a person. There was a crew of about 25, 2 paid all the rest volunteers. The cruise was from 3:30-6 pm. All the crew were very friendly & helpful and would answer any & all questions. You could if you wished participate in assisting with the sails. There are no seats to seat at but there are places to sit, but you might have to move depending on what the crew is doing. You can bring snacks on board & they do offer bagged snacks & sell drinks at a dollar per. There is a scavenger hunt (with prizes) both for kids & adults. You are free to walk around once underway, but you need to be aware of what the crew is doing, sails, lines, etc. We had music, several of the crew had instruments & sang. We all enjoyed the cruise in the bay on the historic (well 1990's) ship. They do offer a Pirate cruise where the crew wears authentic gear, so good it seems that when they appeared in a movie they wore THEIR costumes because they were judged to be better than the Hollywood version.At the conclusion you are asked by the captain to put a gratuity in the treasure chest so that gear can be purchased for the trainees, those not wearing polo shirts. We did. We enjoyed our sail on the bay on the Kalmar Nyckel. My only quibble? After paying 60.00 a head the sodas should be free.

We had seen this ship a few times in Lewes (a long time ago) at Coast Day. We toured it once back then, but then it quit showing up at Coast Day. I have been checking its schedule for free deck tours in Wilmington, DE but it rarely has them. We managed to catch a free deck tour in Lewes at the Ferry terminal the other day. When we arrived, there was no line. We walked up, were greeted by staff and then walked right onto the ship. The crew moved us through 3 stations. They gave us a brief history of this ship. It is a newer ship designed to look like an older one. They showed us around and gave us some information on how the ship is run. They explained the major working parts. They allowed us to participate in turning the wheel and etc. The tour lasted less than 15 minutes. At the end, we saw a treasure chest set on the floor with a sign suggesting a $5.00 donation. Overall, a neat ship to look at. The tour was somewhat informational. It was OK. I'm not sure that it is worth $5.00 per person (suggested donation), especially considering that it is supposed to be a "FREE deck tour". However, we made a donation. After all, the crew does have to work hard to keep this ship going so that we can enjoy it...even if it is from afar. Note: This ship does do cruises from various ports for a fee. Check their website for schedules.

The boat ride on the Kalmar Nyckel might be OK for anyone under the age of 14, but that's about it. It consisted of an hour-long trip on the Christina River on a tall-masted sailing ship without ever opening the sails, with no place to sit, and with no sights to see. Then it ended with the captain begging for tips for the crew after we had already paid $35 each for the trip. We could have had the same trip on the local water taxi for $5.00. Don't waste your time.

Our company chartered the ship from Wilmington for a group of approximately 15 people. It was a great experience and I would recommend it to others for corporate or family outings. The ship is in excellent condition and the crew is very professional and knowledgable about the history of the ship. We even had an opportunity to help raise and lower the sails. I've also had an opportunity to experience their in-school education programs for elementary students and was very impressed with this as well. I would recommend any program with the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation.

This is an authentic replica of a ship used to found the colony of New Sweden in Wilmington, Delaware. I took my 5 year old and 7 year old nephews. They dressed as pirates and loved it. The especially liked the canons. We also chartered it for an afternoon for our firm both in Wimington and Lewes. It was a very smooth ride even for those who don't like ships. The captains and crew were very knowedgable. It made for an enjoyable, memorable and educational experience and GREAT pictures as a result. I'd recommend you look into chartering it or at least getting a ticket to ride.

I was sailing with the tall ships during the Downrigging festival weekend in Chestertown, MD. And the boat is simply beautiful under full sail. I will say they could only raise the sails one day and didn't go out at all the second day due to high wind conditions. I think some people who's reviews I read here do not understand the difficulties sailing on tall ships. One just can't raise the sails if the winds are too strong, especially if the area you are sailing in is a confined space like a river or harbor. This ship has a 12' deep draft and is hard to maneuver even in good conditions, which limits where and when it can sail. Each captain has to make that determination based on the weather conditions, or the area they are sailing in. We had a gorgeous day sailing. She's a beautiful ship when her sails are up. She also does a lot of good helping to educate children and adults to the through the programs they offer. If your concerned about the condition's for sailing I'd check before purchasing a ticket. But either way just enjoy helping keep this old vessel's history alive.

We were staying with friends at Lewes and one of our friends found out that the Kalmar Nyckel was docked at the ferry terminal during our stay and she wanted to go. At $60 per person, we were a little unsure at first, but looking at their website, it looked like it would be a good choice.It was MORE than worth the $60. We took a 2 hour tour around the bay and ocean. All of the staff and volunteers were very helpful and friendly, and you could tell how much they enjoyed being on the boat. We all had the opportunity to help raise and lower the sails, and we learned a lot about how the boat worked. I can't say enough good things about the trip, if you love history, or sailing, I absolutely recommend you check it out!

Looking for something to do yesterday in Wilmington Delaware, I googled waterfront attractions. To my amazement, a 1 &1/2 hour sail on the tall ship Kalmar Nyckel was offered for $35 pp. Should have known better but I jumped to sign up for a chance to sail on a tall ship on Independence day. Cannot possibly describe how bad I was ; you had to be there !! Let's just say that I sailed on tall ship with no sails hoisted. We puttered along for 90 agonizing minutes while multiple very old and junky water taxis continually zoomed by us !!

My son had a blast on the ship ride when he was 4. He loved that they had the kids help out pulling the ropes and doing other task on the boat.

Back in a part of Wilmington that many folks seldom go is the Kalmar Nyckel. The Foundation does great work in the neighborhood where the ship is moored. Go check it out, support the ties to Sweden!

it was really fun we went on it and we got a free ride on it

The Kalmar Nyckel is a replica of the ship that carried Swedish settlers to Delaware. It's crewed and maintained by volunteers and is great fun to visit. They have cruises on the Christina River, some of which are pirate cruises, and in Lewes Delaware out in the bay. It's a great way to learn something about the local history and see the sites from a unique perspective. You get a decent appreciation for rugged the folks who crossed the Atlantic were in the 17th century.