Once a cargo ship (Bark) came into service in June 1896, she is the oldest sailing ship from the ‘Belle Epoque’. The period in which the sailing merchant ships were slowly but surely displaced by steamships. As a cargo ship they sailed on behalf of a French shipowner. In the following 18 years, the Belem crossed the Atlantic 33 times with different types of cargo. Just before the outbreak of the First World War, her role as a freighter came to an end. In March 1914 she got a new British owner, the second Duke of Westminster, who completely renovated the ship into a luxury private yacht. He had the wooden masts replaced with steel ones and installed two motor-driven screws. In addition to a major renovation in the hold where luxury cabins were made, the current Victorian balustrade with white columns was also installed. Which is now so characteristic of this ship. After she changed owners several times, the ship was sold in 1976 to a Venetian yard, refurbished and put on sale. A number of French businessmen saw a chance to buy back the ship and in 1977 the Belem Foundation was founded. She was once again certified as Bark and since then has been a commercial training ship. It has a total length of 58 meters. The large deck is ideal to optimally enjoy the bustle on the water during SAIL!