After battling the wind and waves for two weeks, the crew on board the SV Tres Hombres have arrived safely in Bermuda.Ship captain Andres Lackner said all it takes is an hour of sunshine to forget the last few days in the storm. “It was like this sailing a thousand years ago and it’s still like this today,” he said.The vessel arrived carrying award-winning chocolate from Grenada and barrels of rum from the Caribbean region; they plan to sell the luxury items once they return to Europe.The Tres Hombres is currently the only trans-Atlantic cargo vessel to sail around the world without an engine. Its goal is to move from point A to B emission free, unlike some other cargo ships which can use up thousands of litres of fuel a day.Mr Lackner came up with the idea for the unique tall ship, along with friends Arjen van der Veen and Jorne Langelaan. The three men met while sailing on the tall ship Europa from Southampton, UK to Bermuda in 2000.“There we met by accident,” Mr Lackner said, “and that was the first ocean crossing of that ship so they needed three crazy young people without fear and we had a chance to come aboard.”While working together they came up with the idea for using a low emission means of travel. Then they pooled their financial resources — a total of €3,000 — to purchase a broken down ship.They managed to turn their dream into a reality after enlisting close to 150 volunteers from a host of different countries to help them build the vessel by hand, starting in 2007.“People showed up and wanted to make it happen and the idea became a reality,” the captain explained. “They helped us build the boat and it was all voluntary, meanwhile we found people who were investors in the ship, so it’s a company and we found shareholders to help cover the costs.”He said it was the “time of [his] life” creating and installing everything from the wires, cables and sails on the boat. The end result is a ship that is sea worthy and strong, but also looks like a work of art and makes a statement, Mr Lackner said.Each year they start an eight month trip, starting in Holland, England and France loading ale and biodynamic wine. From there, they travel down to Portugal to get Port wine and organic olive oil, before heading to the Caribbean to get fair-trade chocolate, cacao beans, honey and rum.“It’s luxury items. No one needs it, no one is depending on that, but we carry luxury goods and do it in a good way without polluting the environment,” he told The Royal Gazette.Life on board for the 11 international crew members is typically simple.They feast on fresh bread and porridge each morning and then eat low cost foods like rice and beans in the evening. The men have also learned to preserve their meats by seasoning it overnight with garlic, oregano, salt and other flavourings, before drying it outside in the sun for a week.Bananas, coconuts, potatoes and onions are also part of their staple diet.“For us it’s good [food]. What’s durable is good,” Mr Lackner said.They also come up against some dangers occasionally while at sea. On two occasions while sailing close to Africa, they discovered other ships were following behind them.In order to escape the potential threat, the crew have to quickly change course and turn off all their lights so the ship is invisible.“We try and change our course like a rabbit, but we have never had a real attack,” he said. “Our ship doesn’t carry much value on it. We also don’t look like a cargo ship we look like a training ship, so that helps.”As captain, Mr Lackner said his biggest challenge is getting to each point as fast and safe as possible. The crew, some of whom are naval school trainees, are challenged to learn as much as possible about the traditional, old-style of sailing and navigation.Without an engine, they have to rely on their two wind generators to get them across the ocean. Due to bad weather, it took nearly 14 days on their last journey from the Dominican Republic to Bermuda.Nonetheless it’s during the quiet moments that Mr Lackner said he gets to reminisce about the beauty of the job.“I am on day watch as captain so when I wake up and the sun comes up and the water is smooth this is the easy part and we enjoy those moments.“I also like a smooth night with the moon shine and you are sitting in front of the vessel, close to the rudder to watch our figure head. Just the simple things,” he said.Tres Hombres will be leaving the Island either today or tomorrow to set sail for its next port in the Azores. They expect it will take less time to get to Portugal because the direction of the wind is in their favour.Mr Lackner said they were currently prohibited from selling goods on the Island, but hopes opportunities will open up in the future so that Bermuda residents can order quality goods from their trading partners in the Caribbean.Currently berthed in St George’s, residents are invited to visit the Tres Hombres and speak with the crew.The vessel currently has room for three to four trainee crew members to sail along and experience the sea adventure from Bermuda to the Azores, before it ventures on to England. For more information e-mail Sabine Fox on sabine@fairtransport.nl.Useful website: www.svtreshombres.com