Information

Cisne Branco is the flagship of the Brazilian Navy. Under the sails of the full rigger, future officers and seafarers from the coffee country undergo their training.

The ship has 3 masts and 31 sails of the total surface area 2195 square metres. Interestingly, for several years the Brazilians have been buying staysails from the Gdańsk-based Sail Service. Cisne Branco is one of few modern sailing ships, which, if necessary, has the opportunity to set 6 studding sails, which tea clippers were famous for. These are additional sails, which are based on special studs next to square rigging. The highest and the main mast of the full rigger has 46.4 metres. The ship has a white, steel hull, stylish wood cladding of the superstructure and the total length of 76 metres. Under sails, the ship is capable to develop the speed of up to 17 knots, and with motor up to 11 knots.

The homeport of the ship is Rio de Janeiro. The name Cisne Branco means a white swan. This is a reference to the title of a march, which is the anthem of the Brazilian Navy. The lyrics were written by Benjamin Constant, a national hero, whose name was given to the first Brazilian training ship. Built in 1892, the stately and well-armed steam and sail cruiser was named “white swan” because the French-sounding name was difficult to pronounce. The nickname was then turned into an official name, initially for the two yachts that the Brazilian Navy operated in 1970s and 1980s, and finally for the sail training full rigger.

The Cisne Branco crew consists of 82 people, of whom 31 are trainees. In 2010, she took part in Velas Sudamerica, a rally of Latin American training vessels. Then, for the first time, the ship rounded the Cape Horn under the sail. She also attended subsequent editions of the event, now known as Valas Latinoamica.