SV Estelle
Estelle alongside in her home port Turku, Finland
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History | |
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Owner |
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Operator | Uusi Tuuli |
Port of registry | Finland |
Launched | 1922 |
Identification |
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General characteristics | |
Type | Schooner |
Length | 42 m (138 ft) |
Sail plan | Bermuda |
SV Estelle is a
Estelle was previously maintained by volunteers who had the desire to sail to
After her trip to
Estelle's operations are primarily based on volunteers. Operations strive for environmental sustainability, solidarity and global equality. Since 2003,
Estelle joined Sail Training International's (STI) Class A Forum as a member during the spring of 2005. The forum is intended for training the crews of the world's largest sailboats, improving operations and other related development.[4]
On 27 April 2010, Estelle board member Jyri Jaakkola was killed by paramilitaries in Mexico.[citation needed]
In 2012, Estelle was sold to Swedish interests for an attempt to break the Gaza blockade.
Gaza mission
Estelle departed for the Gaza Strip to try to break Israel's maritime blockade in the summer of 2012.[5] "We are sailing with peaceful intentions," a crew member said.[6] Estelle is Swedish-owned, but Finnish-flagged ship. According to the Ship to Gaza organization, there are also eleven Swedes, two Finns, five Greeks, four Norwegians, three Israelis, three Spanish citizens, one Canadian and one Italian aboard.[7]
On October 20, 2012 the Israeli military seized the vessel without incident and took it to the port of Ashdod. In August 2013 the state of Israel filed a petition to confiscate the vessel. In August 2016, the Israeli supreme court ruled that the state cannot confiscate the Estelle, and ordered to state to pay NIS 40,000 to the ship's owner to cover court costs.[8]
Estelle is the latest in a series of vessels manned by activists who have tried to challenge Israel's blockade on Gaza, imposed after Hamas seized power in 2007.[9]
References
- ^ "Uudet yritykset" [New companies]. Taloussanomat (in Finnish).
- ^ "October 2012". Uusi Tuuli ry - S/V Estelle (in Finnish). 22 October 2012.
- ^ Suominen, Osma (7 April 2009). "Prometheus camps". Prometheus-leirin tuki ry (in Finnish).
- ^ "Introduction". Sail Training International. Archived from the original on 2007-05-02.
- ^ "Israel reiterates intent to stop Estelle's Gaza mission". Yle. 17 October 2012. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ "Estelle crew: no aim to provoke Israeli officials". Yle. 16 October 2012.
- ^ "Israeli navy intercepts the Estelle". Yle. 20 October 2012.
- ^ "Supreme Court rules against major state initiative to deter Gaza flotillas". The Jerusalem Post. 8 August 2016.
- ^ Batty, David (20 October 2012). "Gaza-bound ship Estelle intercepted by Israeli forces". The Guardian.