The Portuguese Lugre “Santa María Manuela” in Tenerife

The Portuguese lugre “Santa María Manuela”, one of the last ships of its kind dedicated to cod fishing and for several years a training ship of the Jerónimo Martins Group – while its twin “Creoula” belongs to the Portuguese Navy – is currently docked at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where it shares the berth with several colorful yachts.

The former cod fishing vessel of the Portuguese White Fleet was built at the Uniao Fabril shipyard in Lisbon and entered service in 1937. It has four masts with a schooner rig on a hull measuring 67.40 m in length, 9.90 m in beam, 5.90 m in depth, and 4.70 m in draft, with a gross tonnage of 666 tons. It can deploy a sail area of 1,244 square meters and for maneuvers and calm weather, it has a 400 horsepower engine.

In 1994, it was saved from abandonment and scrapping thanks to the joint efforts of a group of 17 public and private companies and institutions in Portugal, which came together in the Santa María Manuela Foundation. In 2007, the company Pascoal e Filhos became the manager of the ship, committing to its restoration, which was completed in 2010 at the Factoría Naval shipyard in Marín, Pontevedra, the excellent result of which has been evident since then.

Photo: Ramón Acosta Merino for puentedemando.com