Opal is an elegant 24m top sail electric-powered schooner. She is a seaworthy traditional sailing vessel (tall ship) and the biggest sailing boat in Iceland! She was built in 1951 in Damgarten, Germany as a fishing trawler and restored to an electric schooner in 2015. She has a total of 10 sails including traditional square sails. Wind power and her innovative hybrid propulsion system make her perfect for silent whale watching activities and more efficient sailing on green energy during long voyages. These exclusive features make Opal the perfect platform for marine conservation projects and for educational purposes.
Under Danish flag since 1970, she served as a trawling vessel. Schooners were also designed as cargo vessel to transport guns during the II World War. Although she has been sailing in rough weather and extreme conditions like the cold Barrent Sea, North Sea and the North Atlantic waters, she has never been a warship but always been in hands of peaceful and passionate people!
In 1973 some Danish hippies bought her and transformed her in to the beautiful sailing ship she is today. She was sailing to the Caribbean and back for 30 years aiming to sail around the world! Now she spends the summer in Husavik, Iceland operating whale watching tours and later carrying exciting expeditions in Greenland. She has reached 79º North in Svalbard, and she is open minded for any kind of adventures that may come, just like Ocean Missions!