Maintaining
Kalmar Nyckel
Our volunteer crew works to maintain Kalmar Nyckel each winter in Wilmington, DE at our beautiful maritime center workshops. Experience is valued, but not required.
Getting Started
Join the Kalmar Nyckel’s volunteer maintenance team and learn to give the loving care required to keep the Tall Ship of Delaware seaworthy and beautiful each sailing season. Our staff-run maintenance sessions take place from early November through March, six days a week.
Gain valuable skills as we restore and repair masts, yards, blocks, sails, and more. There is plenty of scraping, sanding, and varnishing to be done while you make new friends in our sail loft, sanding, and finishing rooms. If you have advanced carpentry skills, we have the equipment in our carpentry shop for trained volunteers.
Please note:
- All KNF staff and volunteers are encouraged to stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations per CDC recommendations.
- Ship’s staff (employees of the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation) and live aboard volunteers staying more than three months are required to be fully vaccinated plus have at least one COVID-19 booster.
Get started
Complete and submit our volunteer application. Then you will receive an e-mail with log-in credentials that will allow you to sign up for maintenance sessions. On your first workday, we will plan for a staff member to meet you for a short orientation. Please contact us (by email) with your questions.
Schedule
Maintenance days are scheduled on Monday through Saturdays from 9am-4pm beginning the second weekend in November through the end of March. Certain days will call for more crew and the crew will down rig or up-rig the ship. On-line sign up for all maintenance sessions is required for planning purposes. Refer to your welcome e-mail for details on parking, and more!