Concerns about a no-deal Brexit  are growing on board the tall shop Wylde Swan. The best-known ship in the tall ship fleet has trips to Scotland and southern England planned for this year. If no deal is struck between the UK and the EU, the Wylde Swan expects these trips to become more complex and expensive.

Totally unclear

Wylde Swan’s Christophe Meijer says “We’re sailing from Esbjerg in Denmark to Scrabster in northern Scotland in August. Denmark is a Schengen country but not a euro country. What Scotland’s position will be when we arrive there with our Dutch ship is totally unclear.

Time and money

The Wylde Swan has a number of trips planned for Scotland in which the ship will sail in and out of UK territorial waters. “It may be that we have to keep going through extensive customs and immigration formalities,” suggest Meijer. “We’re concerned about the time we may lose and the possible costs of customs clearance.”

Change of route?

In October 2019, the Wylde Swan plans to sail from Amsterdam to the Isle of Wight and then on to Falmouth in South England. Meijer: “Depending on what the deal or no-deal is, we will consider changing the route.”

Information

The Wylde Swan is berthed in Makkum and the Company is based in Akkrum. Between November and May, the Dutch tall ship sails with secondary school pupils on board in five segments to the Caribbean, around the Caribbean and then via the Azores back to the Netherlands. The pupils follow their school curriculum on board for periods of four to six weeks. Between May and October, the Wylde Swan takes part in various tall ship races in Europe with voyages lasting four to fourteen days.

For more information, visit www.wyldeswan.com or call +31 +654 2010 05.