The journey of Felipe VI on the ship that now houses Leonor, told by Vice Admiral Rafael Martí Narbona

This weekend there has been no media that has resisted reporting on the departure of the Princess Eleanor aboard the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano. The image of Kings Felipe and Letizia from land saying goodbye with tears to their first-born daughter, who will be away from home for the next five months, It has brought to mind what his father also experienced when he was Prince of Asturias and began his great journey. Then it was the Admiral Rafael Martí Narbona who was in charge. With him we remember those months with Don Felipe, “just another midshipman” as is the case today with Leonor. “There were no privileges or anything like that. It was one more, just as his father, King Juan Carlos, asked me to do,” says Martí.

At 93 years old and settled in Valencia, where he lives with some of his children and grandchildren (his wife died in 2023), the admiral has lost his vision but not his memory. These days it has been his children, also Navy officers, who have informed him about the departure of the training ship with the Princess on board. One of them accompanied Elcano’s departure on his sailboat and that is why the testimony has been first-hand and in great detail. When Martí raised the sails with Felipe on board, in the year 87, he had already made the crossing with another crew but they extended his stay so that he could take the Prince.

Q: How do you remember your stay with Don Felipe in Elcano?

R: It was something very exciting and interesting. The Prince arrived alone and did not want to be honored or anything like that. I received him as he deserved and he immediately joined his companions to make all the preparations for a trip that lasted just under six months.

Q: What was your life like on the training ship?

R: I have to clarify that before that moment, King Don Juan Carlos invited me to eat at the Zarzuela Palace and in that meeting he told me that he wanted his son to be another midshipman. That he had the same schedules, shifts, the same bed… Notice that the poor guy had to sleep cramped because at almost two meters he couldn’t fit, but he never complained. He shared the ‘chamber’ with everyone distributed in bunk beds. I remember him as very pleasant because he wanted to participate in all the events, even the funniest ones that take place on such a long trip, such as the costume night, where he had a great time, of course in costume. It is true that in the first moments I received messages that he was very tired, because evidently he did not come with the training of his companions, who had already been at the Naval Academy for three years, and for him it was an excess, but I pretended to be Swedish. and nothing was changed. During the first weeks he had a hard time because it was not easy to keep up and do all the tasks. There is great physical work and it is hard training. For example, on-call shifts, which no one is spared, are hours of sleep that are not recovered. You have to be attentive to the classes, to the observations. In his case, it was added that when we arrived at port there were many events and it is true that once he disembarked he transformed into the Prince of Asturias to fulfill his obligations. Don Felipe had the detail of asking me to accompany him to all those institutional visits, such as the reception given to us by the president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, and other presidents and ambassadors. They offered the Prince to sleep those days in luxury hotels and he never did. I always returned to the training ship and also when we were about to enter I stood guard of honor like all the officers and I always let him pass first. He knew how to distinguish when he was a midshipman and when he was Prince of Asturias.

I was extremely lucky to take Spain on board, a phrase that I repeated a lot at that time. The only time the protocol was followed was when he said goodbye to the trip in Baltimore, since he was going to return to Spain by plane. There he was honored and the ship bid him farewell as he deserved, with all sails covered and everyone in their place. He personally said goodbye to absolutely everyone and from land he watched as Elcano set sail to continue his return journey. I know that when he returned, he completed his training on a warship, where he must have spent about two months completing his preparation.

Q: King Felipe is passionate about astronomy and that came from his marine vocation.

R: Obviously he has a very marine spirit because he loves the sea and, frankly, I think he had a great time in Elcano.

Q: Are the midshipmen of the Juan Sebastián at risk?

R: In those times they were not as protected as today because they climbed the poles without the protection of a harness. There is no doubt that working with candles has some danger, especially at night, but thank God in the two years that I was there nothing happened. Felipe did not have any special protection and also, due to his height, he had to climb through the center of the sail, which is for the tallest. Obviously I was worried but the order was that I treat him like one of my own and that’s what I did all the time.

Q: What special memory do you have from those months?

R: I have great affection and respect for Don Felipe and I believe that I am reciprocated in that. I will never forget the visit to President Reagan because it was something very special as well as childish, since he did not stop talking to us about his ranch, but they are beautiful and unrepeatable experiences.

Q: In those years there were no women on board.

R: In that year the crew (we sailors do not say crew), in addition to the officers, still had replacement sailors because military service still existed. Today they are all professionals.

Q: I suppose you have experienced with special attention the departure from Elcano with the Princess on board.

R: Unfortunately I have gone blind and cannot see anything but my son, who is a Navy officer and loves sailing, was one of those who accompanied the ship for twenty miles on its way out and sent me an audio so that I could hear everything well. .

Q: Does that experience change the lives of those on board?

R: I think it is very formative and not only because of the extensive curriculum but also because of the enormous coexistence they have within the training ship and that makes you get used to a very special lifestyle. Normally, navigations last 30 days and I assure you that they are not a spree. They are days at sea, of exercises, of climbing the masts, hoisting the sails… That time at sea makes you behave in a special way and you learn to coexist with all your companions.

Q: I suppose they will go through storms and I don’t know if they will be moments of maximum tension.

R: Obviously you organize a forecast of the travel plan with the itinerary and then it is the time you find yourself. The ship, I assure you, defends itself perfectly, even in very great storms. There are crossings that in principle have good seas but anything can happen. What can be said is that it is a very safe boat. Keep in mind that it was launched in 1927, so it will soon be 100 years old without stopping and without any serious mishaps.

Q: Precisely because of its age I don’t know if it is so safe…

R: Yes it is. In addition, the necessary works are carried out so that it does not lose its qualities and has the same benefits because it is not only that it does not get worse but that it improves.

Q: Is there any ritual among the Elcano midshipmen?

R: The touch of prayer in the sea is very beautiful. The crew is formed on the stern with the music band that goes on the boat and we all sing the prayer. It is the most exciting time of the day. It has very beautiful lyrics and I suppose they will continue singing because we are very reluctant to change things. When the night begins, the prayer ring is played and I seem to remember that the lyrics say something like “you who have heaven and love/make the storm calm/be with us lord mercy/mercy lord, lord mercy.”

Q: Apart from the marching band, the training ship also has a medical service.

R: It has two doctors and what I did on my second voyage was that everyone went to the dentist before boarding, because on the first trip many teeth had to be extracted and that is why the second time only two or three teeth had to be extracted. If there is an emergency, an operating room is set up, although fortunately in my travels it was never necessary, but I know that at some point people have had to undergo appendicitis or some other not very complicated intervention. If things are complicated, we try to reach port and if possible, another ship approaches to transport the hospital.

Q: What is your current relationship with King Philip?

R: I was very lucky in 2017 to attend the 90th anniversary of Elcano and we were all former commanders, some of whom were even around 100 years old, and it was very pleasant to be with Don Felipe, who gave me a very affectionate hug.