Mater Museum, the adventure of Pasaia’s last wooden fishing boat

Discover the fishing boat Mater de Pasaia, the ship that was converted into a museum to show the maritime culture of the Basque Country from a perspective of conservation and respect for the sea and its people.

The port of Pasaia was in the past one of the most important fishing ports of our coast, nowadays, the maritime culture and traditions of Pasaia have been diminishing as the fishing boats have been disappearing. The non-profit association Itsas Gela, created in Pasaia in 2001, decided to look for solutions to this problem, a solution they found with the creation of what we know today as the Mater Museum. The Mater Museum responds to the demand to find a location for the testimonies and marine objects collected over the years by this association.

Mater Museum entrance

The Mater project travels the entire Cantabrian coast on board the ship of the same name, mooring in every port of the Basque Country and spreading the way of life of our arrantzales (Basque fishermen). This project is essential in order not to let a very important part of our history, culture and tradition fall into oblivion.

History of the Mater Museum: The last wooden tuna boat in the Cantabrian Sea, the last one with that traditional curved design, the last of a great fleet that was fundamental in the development of the Basque people, that is the fishing boat Mater.

In 1990 the Etxegoien family, originally from the municipality of Getaria, built their new boat, the fishing boat Mater. This boat was the last boat to be built in wood in the Basque Country for fishing, it had the same naval engineering that was used until then, same materials, same shape, making it one of the few boats of this type that are preserved today.

Captain’s cabin, Mater Museum

For more than 13 years this ship fished along our coast catching large shoals of anchovies, mackerel, northern bonitos and sardines, all using environmentally friendly fishing techniques, the net and the live bait technique. In 2003, after its great campaign of extraction of tar from the Prestige, the Mater was going to be scrapped, pushed by the large subsidies offered by the government for the renewal of the fleet. But thanks to the Itsas Gela association of Pasaia, the Mater began a new stage in its busy life, becoming the center of diffusion of the Basque maritime heritage.

Interior of the Mater Museum

In 2005 the Mater Museum became a reality, and since then it has been sailing our waters in search of people who are interested in learning about this interesting part of our history. It is a unique ship in its category, a jewel of our maritime history, along with it, other museums such as the tuna Agurtza are part of a network of museums that strive every day to raise awareness of our past.

Itsas Gela Association

Location: Although its mooring is located in the port of Pasaia, sometimes it leaves this port to visit other ports of our coast.

Technical characteristics: The following are the most important technical characteristics of this traditional fishing shipbuilding.

Mater Museum

Crew: Throughout its history, from 1990 to the present day, the Mater has been steered and crewed by different people over thousands of nautical miles.

In its stage as a fishing boat it always had the same family of owners and a single skipper, Joxemari, but different sailors. They sailed the entire Atlantic, from Ireland to the Canary Islands.

During its time as a museum, many people have stepped on its deck, skippers, sailors, passengers, engineers and tourists among many others.

Currently the crew is formed by two great professionals with a great formation, Izaskun and Xabi, director of the Museum and skipper respectively.

Mater Museum Crew

Hours and prices: As we have already mentioned, the Mater Museum has its mooring in Pasaia, although it may be absent for some time.

Mater fishing

Activities and program: The outings that the Mater Museum usually performs offshore are scheduled and detailed on its website. Remember that all of them are subject to a minimum group size.

Do you want to know the Cantabrian Sea? Do you want to sail in an authentic Basque fishing boat? What are you waiting for? Choose the outing you like the most and embark on this incredible adventure!

Remember that the Mater Museum has received our exclusive “TurismoVasco.com” accreditation for its work in spreading the culture and history of the Basque people.

Tourism AccreditationVasco Tiketa

We recommend a visit to the Mater Museum accompanied by a visit to Albaola, two dynamic and fun museums suitable for all audiences.