The Spanish Navy’s training ship, Juan Sebastián de Elcano, arrived this Thursday on the coast of Lima, having carried Princess Leonor since departing from Cádiz on January 11. It will remain anchored there until Friday, when it is scheduled to dock at the port of El Callao, near the Peruvian capital.
As the ship carrying the heir to the throne approached the coast, it fired a 21-gun salute while nearing the Peruvian Naval School, located on the La Punta peninsula that separates the bays of Lima and Callao. The Peruvian coast met it with a similar salute as a symbol of welcome, according to EFE. This tradition, dating back to the 16th century, is a ceremonial gesture meant to demonstrate peaceful intentions from visiting vessels.
Peru is the fourth country where Juan Sebastián de Elcano has made a stop— a visit that has sparked great anticipation in a nation with strong ties to Spain. People greeted the arrival of King Felipe and Queen Letizia's eldest daughter with great interest. In this context, the young Princess’s Atlantic voyage and her journey through the Americas have been generating significant fascination among the public.
The ship’s 76 midshipmen—67 men and nine women — will continue their journey, with upcoming stops in Panama City, Cartagena de Indias, Santa Marta (Colombia), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), and New York (USA). Their first stop was in Salvador de Bahía, Brazil, on February 14, after three weeks at sea. In each destination, the midshipmen take part in official, social, cultural, or military events, representing Spain.
The heir to the throne, along with her fellow midshipmen, is fully committed to completing the tasks assigned to them on this 97th training cruise, which has now reached the halfway point of its scheduled journey. The commitment was evident in a video shared by the Royal Household last Monday, where Leonor de Borbón is seen performing various activities at dizzying heights — climbing the masts, securing sails, and pulling ropes on deck with outstanding determination.
We’ve also seen the future queen using a sextant — an astronomical instrument shaped like a 60-degree arc, used to measure angles between two objects, such as landmarks or the sun and the horizon. In addition, the elder sister of Infanta Sofía takes part in cleaning and maintaining the ship before each stop, sponge in hand, polishing this beautiful and historic sailing vessel to keep it in top condition.