Dutch ship arrives to celebrate Darwin’s legacy

THE Oosterschelde, a tall Dutch ship retracing the voyage of the HMS Beagle, where naturalist, geologist and scientist Charles Darwin spent some years on, will soon dock in Cape Town to celebrate his life and legacy.

- LIZAHN BOWERS

The legacy of Darwin, who is widely known as the “father of evolution”, and the impact of his visit to the Cape Colony, will be commemorated with a range of events during April.

The events form part of the Darwin200 project, which is celebrating Darwin’s legacy and promoting biodiversity conservation worldwide.

The Oosterschelde, will dock in Cape Town for 22 days, with a range of activities coinciding with her visit, including the unveiling of the Darwin bust on Simon’s Town Jetty by the great, great granddaughter of Charles Darwin, Dr Sarah Darwin, on Sunday April 27. The bust will depict Darwin at the age of 27, as he appeared during his visit to the Cape in 1836.

Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle on December 27, 1831, from Plymouth, England. He was 22 years old when he was hired to be the ship’s naturalist.