The coast of São Paulo is full of secrets: from idyllic beaches to World War II shipwrecks. One of the most fascinating curiosities, however, is the Kestrel Sailboat, the “ghost ship” that ran aground in Santos in the 19th century.
The vessel spent more than a century hidden in the sand, but today it is one of the most intriguing tourist attractions in the Baixada Santista region. This “open-air museum” is located on Embaré Beach and offers a rare opportunity to see fragments of a century-old ship up close .
The story behind the “ghost ship” of Santos
After crossing the ocean from New York to the coast of São Paulo, the English sailing ship Kestrel was anchored in Santos when it was surprised by a major storm. The force of the rain broke the anchor chain and the ship drifted until it ran aground. As most of the crew was on land, no one was injured.
The incident occurred on February 11, 1895, 131 years ago. The Kestrel’s structure suffered so much damage that the company responsible decided to dismantle it. Remains of the hull, however, remained submerged and forgotten under layers of sand.
The wreckage began to appear in the mid-1970s, with the ebb tide. But fame came only in 2017, when experts examined the material and confirmed that it was a century old, since the combination of iron and wood was no longer used in shipbuilding in 1930. After researching several shipwrecks in Santos, historians confirmed that the wreck belonged to the famous Kestrel.
Photo: Reproduction/Santos City Hall
Kestrel sailboat comes back to life with virtual reality
Initially, the Public Prosecutor’s Office requested the removal of the wreckage from Embaré Beach for further study. However, the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan) concluded that the move could cause irreversible damage to what remained of the boat. It was therefore decided that the Kestrel would remain by the sea.
For the safety of beachgoers, the Santos City Hall marked the wreckage of the “ghost ship” and turned it into a tourist attraction. Currently, there is a commemorative plaque explaining the history of the sailboat, and tourists can scan a QR Code to view the Kestrel via augmented reality.
Photo: Francisco Arrais/Reproduction