Mercator Sailing Ship

The Mercator is a three-masted barquentine built in 1932 in Leith, Scotland, to train officers for the Belgian merchant navy. Over the following decades it made 41 voyages and called at 54 countries. It is moored in the marina in the middle of town, a few minutes’ walk from the station, and has been a museum ship since 1964.

The ship has a good story to tell. On an expedition to Easter Island in the 1930s it brought back two moai statues, one now in Brussels and one in Paris. In 1936 it carried the remains of Father Damien home from Hawaii, and in 1960 it won the Tall Ships’ Race from Oslo to Ostend.

On board you can walk the decks and look into the officers’ cabins, galley, mess and classrooms, which have all been kept complete. Allow about an hour. A combined ticket with the Amandine trawler museum by the station makes a good maritime half-day. Note that the ship has steep stairs and narrow passages, so it is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs.