That long trail of the training ship Simon Bolivar

With almost 45 years of having received the National Flag of Venezuela, on August 12, 1980, the training ship Simon Bolivar has a long trail of sea foam and history behind its itinerary, with the mission of training young people from the naval academy for the defense of that country, and to bring the wishes of love and peace to the people.

Captain Ronald Briseño Huerta himself, Commander of the " Simon Bolivar", trained and practiced on the ship, hence it is a genuine result of that strong and demanding preparation undertaken by the different batches of Venezuelans.

While the " Simon Bolivar" rested these days docked at one of the docks of the port of Cienfuegos, Briseño Huerta answered some questions from the Cuban News Agency.

I was trained on this ship as a cadet," he confessed. I made my training voyage in 1998 and I am about to celebrate 25 years of graduation from the Naval School; now I have had the fortune and privilege of being the ship's Commander".

In this quarter of a century of his life on board, there is not a corner of the deck, stern or starboard side that the Commander does not know; but he also has detailed references on how the sailing ship has evolved in these many training voyages, as well as the changes made in his crew of cadets and midshipmen.

When it sailed for the first time in the waters of Cienfuegos Bay in 2019, among the sailboat's crew there were some women's faces, who martially wore the uniform and performed the same tasks as the men.

Now, in this second visit to Jagua Bay, the women's presence is very noticeable. Regarding these transformations, Briseño Huerta affirms that "having them on the ship is a blessing because they always have a particular touch and a lot of distinction, so much so that the participation of women was compelled by the government of Caracas, since the fight for inclusion carried out by Commander Hugo Chavez".

"Thanks to him, the female incorporation to the Venezuelan Armed Forces has been very active, and I dare to say that exponentially, because as time went by, the integration of women became more emphatic.

"We already have women with the rank of ship commanders, there are airplane pilots, helicopter pilots, a submariner, so it is really very positive, and not only in the military life, but also in the government structures.

"Chavez was always a person with a feminist perspective, who always had their inclusion in mind, and they responded by demonstrating their human and professional qualities.

"Notice that we now have 34 in the " Simon Bolivar" among professionals, cadets, in short, all ranks in the crew".

Brigadier Major Nelmary Martinez Quintero, a graduate of the National Guard Military Academy, is in her third year at the Bolivarian Military University, and is one of the guests on this 35th training cruise.

"Many will think that a woman may find it difficult to do certain things that men do with ease, but the female representation incorporated has shown that we can do everything and much more.

"My motivation for opting for military careers is to be able to achieve great things, I was able to get to my academy, prove that I am a good person, a better cadet and represent that with my grades, with my evaluations.

"I was first place in my school's order of merit and that is why I am here as a guest cadet on a training cruise, about which I had no idea of marine life and I have been adapting to all the circumstances, to the training and doctrines of seafaring.

Martinez Quintero was born in the Venezuelan state of Tachira and is part of the land troops, so he had to overcome much more than the other crew members, who do know about naval activities.

"It is the first time I have sailed, and I was afraid, but that is the essence of being able to make you do things".

The fact that it remained docked at the docks of the port of Cienfuegos made many sailors appreciate the uniqueness of the vessel, built in 1978 at the Celaya S.A. shipyard in Bilbao, like its counterparts in the region, such as the Cuauhtémoc, from Mexico; the Guayas, from Ecuador; and the Gloria, from Colombia.

Considered a classic sailing ship, the brigantine has three masts, with a sail area of 1,650 square meters (m), which accommodate a total of 23 sails.

With an autonomy of 45 days sailing, the ship has a length of 82.4 m and a draft of 4.4 m, which facilitates its access to any port, since it does not require such deep inlets.

Recognized among the Venezuelan people as the Ambassador without Borders, the "Simón Bolívar" assumes this honorable name because in addition to training new generations in the naval defense of the Latin country, it has the mission of establishing and strengthening bonds of friendship with the navies of other territories in the area.

The 35th Foreign Training Cruises, carried out by the Bolivarian sailing ship, undoubtedly leave a long history behind them, and a memorable memory of those who passed through it, or still remain there as those maritime logs that always seek to counteract the magnetism of the ship.