Cumbia and reggaeton
On board, 88 crew and 77 cadets who arrived perched on the six sails of the two masts of this brigantine sailing ship, built in the Spanish city of Bilbao in 1986, with red, blue and yellow clothing, the colors of the Colombian flag.
Music also played a leading role in the docking, with pasodobles and songs such as the hymn to the ARC Gloria, a praise to the “messenger who will sail across the entire world with his graceful masts displayed in the blue”, as the song says.
But cumbia, reggaeton and other musical styles typical of the Latin American country also played on the deck. Some of the attendees did not hesitate to dance in an atmosphere of joy and celebration with the aroma of coffee and other original products from Colombia, which will be on display. sale on board the ship during its stay in the Italian port.
After having crossed more than 7,000 nautical miles (almost 13,000 kilometers)the cadets, between 18 and 21 years old, have already received notions of astronomical navigation and have participated in maintenance work on a ship that has passed through the ports of Baltimore (USA) since it set sail from Cartagena (Colombia) on March 1 .USA) and Lisbon (Portugal).
“It’s the first time I’m in Italy. I’m very excited”said midshipman (final year cadet) Oscar Jesús Villalba Velázquez, who did not hesitate to express his desire to get lost in the streets of the Eternal City on one of his franchises (his days off).
Angry Seas
And these apprentice sailors also have time to explore the destinations they visit to forge an important “cultural exchange,” Vice Admiral Harry Reyna Niño, who is also Chief of the Force Support Staff of the Navy, explained to EFE. Colombia.
The objective of their tutors is for these sailors to forge “in rough seas”, where they will learn “how hard life is at sea”Reyna assured, something that the cadets already experienced in the Strait of Gibraltar, where the neophytes had the opportunity to experience the bravery of the waters of one of the most important points in the world in terms of maritime traffic.
To achieve this, the cadets’ routine begins at 7 in the morning, when the theoretical classes that take place on board the ship begin, and are followed by intense training in both ship maintenance and navigation tasks.
Coinciding with the celebration of the 200 years of existence of the Colombian Navy and the 160 years of diplomatic relations with Italy, this visit also serves as a response to the visit received by the Italian Navy training ship, the ‘Américo Vespucio’, to Cartagena de Indias in September 2023.
Next May 2, the ‘ARC Gloria’ will set sail again in the direction of Marseille (France), and then sail to Barcelona (Spain), where the cadets currently traveling on board will say goodbye to the sailboat to make way for a new batch of students who will complete a journey that will end in the month of August in the port of Cartagena de Indias.