OVM boats on tour | Naval Training Vessel "Urania"
This summer, Zr.Ms. Urania took part in The Tall Ships Races 2026. Starting in Aarhus, the race took her to Harlingen, Antwerp and Stavanger, before finishing in Aalborg. Along the way, her crew competed against Tall Ships from all around the world.
Urania was designed as a training yacht for future officers of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Most of their experience at sea will eventually be gained aboard naval ships that are many times larger. On board Urania, they experience the sea from the perspective of a much smaller vessel. At the same time, they develop their seamanship, teamwork, leadership and sense of responsibility.
Team Olivier van Meer Design was responsible for the complete design of Urania. More than twenty years after her launch, she is still beautifully maintained by the Royal Netherlands Navy. Together with her timeless design, this will allow her to give many more generations of future officers an experience they will remember throughout their careers, whether or not they joined the Navy with a background in sailing.
That is one of the special things about our work. The first lines of Urania were drawn here in our office, but hundreds, and perhaps eventually thousands, of officers will sail and train aboard her. Fortunately, she still regularly visits Enkhuizen. So every now and then, we get to see her again and wave to ‘our’ Urania as she sails by.
