PRIDE II THIS WEEK

Winter Maintenance 2012 ~ Getting Pride of Baltimore II Ready for the Bicentennial

We’ve been talking about for a couple of years, and it now upon us ~ The Bicentennial of the War of 1812.  Since PRIDE II is among the handful of 1812 style vessels in the country and, of that small fleet, easily the most versatile and farthest ranging, her presence will quite naturally be requested at many of the anniversary marking events of the next three years.  The winter crew, who this year include both professionals and volunteers, are hard at work making sure Pride II is ready for the throngs of visitors that will board her this year and the even larger audience that may only catch a glimpse, as our nation commemorates this important era of our history. 

Project, Projects and More Projects

PRIDE II is safely under her cocoon of white shrink wrap plastic moored alongside the Maryland Port Administration worksite on S. Clinton Street in the Canton area of Baltimore.  Her spars (yards, topmasts, gaffs, boom) have been removed and are safely stowed under their own cocoon of white plastic.  Next to that Quonset shaped structure is a small little ‘hobo" hut where the ship’s blocks are to be maintained.  Rounding out these temporary working structures are four shipping containers that serve as the basis of PRIDE II's maintenance and spare parts storage and work bench.  There is much activity in a small amount of space, meaning that Pride of Baltimore II’s winter maintenance is well underway. 

This year’s projects include some different chores (in addition to the regular annual maintenance work), requiring some significant prep work:

Deck Oiling Project:  The purpose of this project is to preserve the deck from the adverse effects of aging. The first thing that needed to be done was to remove the hardware (prisms, etc), from the deck, remove the dead and falling out deck seam pitch, followed by a diligent sanding of the whole deck prior to laying down the oil.

Under Engine Containment Repair:  To tackle this project, the engines had to be lifted up off their permanent "installed" position motor mounts in order to access the under engine containment system.

As of mid-January the deck received its first four priming coats.  Two to four more separate covering coats before the 2012 sailing crew come aboard at the end of February. In the midst of this new deck seam pitch will be poured and the deck hardware will be re-installed.  In the engine compartment the port side engine is back on its motor mounts and connected. The starboard engine is expected to be lifted up this week.

Throughout this same period the other normal and annual maintenance work is in process. Spars have been sanded and 3 coats of varnish have been applied to those areas where wear and tear from the 2011 season was evident.  Additionally, the first full coat of varnish has been sanded and ready for the second full coat. Block maintenance is near complete and ready for being re-stropped/seized into their proper slings of wire or rope.  Work still to be done includes the down below cosmetics, including varnishing the galley and the saloon area and cosmetic repair/maintenance of thee foc'sle and the aft cabin.

Volunteer Winter Maintenance Crew

A new chapter in the tradition of winter maintenance is the Pride Winter Maintenance Volunteer Program.  The program kicked-off in Mid-December and, with the exception of a holiday hiatus, has been going strong since.  There is a steady turnout of volunteers that come both weekdays and Saturdays.  Through the program, volunteer winter crew work alongside Pride’s crew and learn the age-old preservation skills of sailing ships; experience the un-tempered elements as the Privateers of 1812 knew them; learn to tie the knots that hold the rig together; smell the tar, brush on the varnish; help Maryland take pride in its maritime history; and help us take Pride of Baltimore II to the national stage that will be the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 events.

Sound interesting?  No experience is necessary and we welcome you to participate.  If you want more information or want to sign up, send us an email of give us a call at 410-539-1151.