Lanzarote Traditional Sailing: the return of a sailboat that refused to die
There are ships that are bought, used, and one day disappear from the sea.
And then there are ships like the Ora et Labora: those that seem to have a will of their own, those that survived more than a century of changes, those that burned, sank, were abandoned... and yet never stopped waiting for someone to return them to the water.
His return to Playa Blanca is neither a business venture nor an aesthetic whim:
is a restitution of the sea to a ship that was born to sail.
When it touched the water for the first time after so many months of restoration, the moment was strange and beautiful at the same time. There were no sails and no rush. Just the sound of the engine, the movement of the water against the hull, and that feeling that everyone understands when something starts working again after a lot of effort:
the boat is alive again.
A sailboat with wrinkles, scars, and memories
The Ora et Labora was born when Germany still built ships the way violins are built: with selected wood, expert hands, and a clear idea of functional beauty.
It has seen wars, hostile seas, fishing nets, ports that no longer exist, anonymous crews.
It survived what a ship usually does not survive:
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went up in flames in Playa Blanca
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was abandoned for decades
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passed from hands that did not know what to do with it
And yet, it was still there.
He wasn't asking for luxury. He was just asking to float again.
When you refloat a boat like this, of course you think that one day there will be people taking photos, smiling and telling people that they have sailed on a unique boat.
But that day of testing wasn't about that.
It was about restoring stability, checking that the hull responds and regaining confidence in the sea.
Someone who decided to listen to the ship
Every recovery project needs someone who refuses to give in to logic.
That someone, in this case, was Justin.
Justin grew up among boats, learning the discipline of the sea from childhood.
When he saw the Ora et Labora, he didn't see an old boat: he saw an interrupted story.
Justin invested thousands of hours and thousands of euros. New wood, new engine, oils, tools, days smelling of salt and metal.
Not to show off the boat.
To return the boat to its natural place: the sea.
It won't be just another charter. It will be something more honest.
When the Ora et Labora sets sail again—with sails, with real wind—it will not be a ship for noise, massive parties, or fast consumption.
It will be a ship for:
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look at the sea before photographing it
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feel the wood under your feet
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hear the shrouds creak
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remember that sailing was a profession before it was an attraction
There will be routes. There will be an audience. But the essential thing will not be "what it includes," but what it awakens.
Playa Blanca as a starting point
It is no coincidence that the project was born here.
Playa Blanca has that balance of calm and open horizon that turns every outing into a dialogue: volcano, water, wind, silence.
It doesn't matter if you're a sailor, a tourist, or someone with no experience.
There are things that touch you for no particular reason.
A ship with scars is one of them.
What now?
Now there are sails to be rigged.
Fittings to be adjusted.
Hours of testing.
A new phase that requires patience and respect.
But none of that matters. Because the essential has already been achieved:
The boat is in the water.
Everything else—the first sail hoisted, the first voyage, the first person to get excited on board—
, will be a natural consequence of this moment.
This isn't just about ships. It's about history.
If you ever go up to Ora et Labora, you should know that...
It is floating memory.
It is an act of cultural resistance.
It is a reminder that there are objects that deserve a future, even if their economic value does not justify it.
The sea understands that better than anyone.
And when the sails finally open,
when the ship tilts and moves forward silently,
when the wind does its job...
Lanzarote Traditional Sailing will no longer be a project. It will be a legacy.
This isn't just about ships. It's about history.
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