Elida started as an association in 1963 by Gun and Lennart “Tarren” Abrahamsson. (To read Tarren’s own life story, click here.)
As a newly ordained minister in a small chapel in Kungshamn, on the west coast of Sweden, Tarren experienced that too few people came to church, out of all the tens of thousands of tourists arriving for vacation to the Kungshamn area every summer.
Thus the dream of a sailing church was formed! Soon the first Elida was purchased.
In the beginning, Elida was mainly a basis for the boy sea scout activities in Kungshamn during the fall and the spring, while in the summer time, various youth camps were arranged onboard with shorter stops in different ports with singing and music from deck.
Over the years, the ships, activitites and ways of working have altered from time to time, but the goal and purpose have always remained the same.
In 1996 Tarren handed over the main responsibility for the Elida organization to his son Stefan Abrahamsson. They worked side by side until Tarren passed away one year later, ensuing a tragic traffic accident.
Together, the crew, the boards and PartnerShip members make up the Team Elida.