Welcome to the Captain’s Blog

Spring in 2008 must now be here. Aside from the uncommon high temperature we are experiencing (70 degrees just three days ago and nearly 50 today) for this time of year in Baltimore…the PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II crew for 2008 have moved aboard and started readying her for sailing in early April.

We have four returning crew from past years coming back with eight new crew that are aboard PRIDE for the first time. Altogether everyone has had traditional sailing vessel experience on other vessels, which means that the learning curve for all is relegated to getting to know the vessel rather than having also to learn about sailing and about vessel work and life. Hence every day is directed to getting things done that needs doing to take a vessel that has been laying empty and unrigged to a vessel that is ready for ocean voyaging.

This first week is dedicated to bringing aboard those tools and supplies that make PRIDE a fairly independent island of self sufficiency. There are also some incomplete maintenance projects from the winter maintenance crew that are being attended to. Soon we will begin to strip off the winter cover and begin to rig up the topmasts, the yards, all of the running rigging and stitch on the sails. By early April PRIDE should be looking like her beautiful self and ready to do her first sailing of 2008.

Cheers,
Jan C. Miles, Captain

Orignally published in the Pride of Baltimore, Inc. Newsletter Winter 2008 

I became the ninth master of the first Pride of Baltimore in 1981 when I assumed command behind Captain Armin Elsaesser. I will never forget the rhetorical question he raised during my indoctrination to what was then a unique story—a real sailing vessel of traditional historical dimensions and construction setting out to voyage the seas and tell the world of the City of Baltimore’s renaissance and doing so with a financial structure that had changed from pure government funding to one that relied significantly on private funding. Armin’s query was, “Is there life after Pride?”

More than 30 years after the commissioning of the first Pride, Pride II has carried the same mission for twice as long as her predecessor. She has been representing Baltimoreans, Marylanders and the Chesapeake Bay, as well all Americans abroad, stretching as far east as Russia and the Ukraine and as far west as China and Hong Kong, and almost everywhere in between. Amid the overseas missions, Pride II represents her home community to all of America, from coast to coast, as well as to Canada and Bermuda. Pride II’s mission has grown to emphasize Baltimore’s significant role in America’s “Second War of Independence,” the War of 1812, by telling the story of the origin of our National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” due to the notable privateering campaigns by Baltimore built topsail schooners, which are Pride II’s design legacy. The contemporary legacy on which Pride II builds is the original thinking that created the first Pride in 1976/77. Over the years, the financial structure changed from strictly public to public/private support (1980), as several mission copy-cat traditional vessels were built or purchased and renamed for the purpose of representing their own regions: California (1984), Spirit of Massachusetts (1984), Virginia (2005), Spirit of South Carolina (2007), Gazella of Philadelphia and Lady Alexandria. None of these vessels, however, actually takes their claims far from home or has the international reputation that Pride’s missions generate.Meanwhile, other vessels focus their roles on historical representation, such as Ellisa (Texas), the Denis Sullivan (Wisconsin) and A.J. Meerwald (New Jersey). Their names do not reveal their geographical bases, though they claim ambassador roles for their respective areas.There is also a growing list of professional mariners that have Pride experience in their personal sea-logs. I estimate that for every year Pride II has sailed, there is at least one past Pride crew member who is now or has been a Master of a traditional sailing vessel. Of them, three have returned to Pride to be partner captains with me. There have been a total of seven partner-captains over the last 19 years–five full-time and two relief. I cannot count how many past Pride crew have obtained marine licenses and fulfilled officer positions on traditional or commercial vessels. I believe Pride could have the highest ratio of crew to become Captains and officers of any other single American traditional sailing vessel. This tradition of professional development has grown within the Pride missions.

I have been relieved again by my Partner-Captain David Bradley after almost two and a half months in command of PRIDE. The captain rotation occurred in Boothbay, Maine at the Boothbay Shipyard where PRIDE was staying and conducting day-sail trips for the week of August 15 through August 22. Since departing the ship I have remained in Maine visiting friends accumulated over 30 years of my professional maritime life with traditional working vessels and classic yachts. This log is again long over due. I have no excuse. But it sure has been a lot more fun traveling in Maine than worrying about this delayed log. But as is clear in all parts of life, I have finally run out of delaying opportunities and now sit to write while in a coffee shop in Rockland, Maine during what the locals call a heat wave of low eighties and higher than comfortable humidity. 

PRIDE completed her tall ship festival series in Eastern Canada by early August and proceeded to return to the United States. Considering the last stop in the Canadian tour this year was Miramichi, New Brunswick, there was some distance to transit to return to American waters. As the crow flies the distance from Miramichi to Bar Harbor for US Customs clearance is about 20% of the actual distance PRIDE had to go merely to get around Canada. On the way PRIDE could not resist putting into Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. It is home to a glorious sailing fishing history as well home to the Canadian ambassador sailing vessel BLUENOSE II, a replica of the most powerful fishing schooner the Canadians ever built. Lunenburg is also home to the Barque PICTON CASTLE, the 4 time world circumnavigator. With such magnetism how could PRIDE merely sail on by? Well, to be perfectly candid, Lunenburg was on PRIDE’s itinerary from early on, so between running ahead of schedule and having a delay of departure due to weather she was able to mingle with her vessel friends longer than expected. 

There are big differences between the square rigged sailing experience and that of fore & aft schooner rigged sailing. The unfortunate circumstances of having no Guest Crew for PRIDE as she made her way from Miramichi to Boothbay presented the opportunity of showing some of PICTON CASTLE’s crew what it was like to sail aboard PRIDE. Captain Daniel Moreland of the PICTON CASTLE was sincere that his crew would benefit by having a chance to sail aboard PRIDE. I certainly felt it would be of benefit to PRIDE’s crew to have professional crew from another vessel to work beside and share perspectives. Thus, when PRIDE departed Lunenburg August 9th, a day later than scheduled due to weather, PRIDE was full of maritime professionals. Only the second time ever such an experience was had! The first time was on the maiden voyage leg between Baltimore and Bermuda when the ship was full of builders…almost all of whom had extensive sailing experience. PRIDE’s Commissioning birthday is October 23. She will be 19 years old then. It is interesting to me that only twice has she ever had a full compliment (including Guest Crew berths) of full time traditional sailing vessel crew aboard. I can tell all of you that as a skipper it was a much more relaxed yet more energetic experience of sailing the ship. The crew were eager and fast at getting sail on. Even though there was “show and tell” requirements with the unfamiliar professionals, the time it took to explain was short because the basis of knowledge and operational discipline was so common and familiar among all involved. 

PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II in Maine is always a conversation piece for everyone, both off the ship and aboard. There are plenty of traditional vessels and yachts to admire and they are just as admiring of PRIDE. The beauty of Maine waters is not easily over expressed. PRIDE arrived in Bar Harbor to clear Customs. Deep water in the area presents anchoring concerns…but mutual connections led to permission to take a mooring ball that the College of the Atlantic manages. So PRIDE rested at a mooring as we waited for US Customs. Once cleared into the country the PICTON CASTLE crew got off and the crew of PRIDE slipped the mooring and we motored toward the west to an anchorage near Stonington, Maine, located at the SW corner of Deer Isle. Why not sail? The time remaining before having to be in Rockland the next day did not lend itself to sailing against the light SW to W to NW winds that were blowing that afternoon. Plus, with no Guest Crew aboard there was no real push to sail. There was a much greater push to do maintenance and if no maintenance, see Maine go by as we drove her west around Mount Desert, through the Bass Harbor Bar Cut, on across Blue Hill Bay, through Casco Passage and into Deer Island Passage to anchor about half a mile east of Stonington in among the islands of Merchants Row. The next day, Sunday August 12, we motored through the west portion of Deer Island Passage and passed by Stonington, across Frenchman’s Bay, into Fox Island Thoroughfare and then across the lower Penobscot Bay to Rockland. Being the weekend many of the Maine Windjammer Fleet was either already in port, arriving or leaving. In days past the pattern was all schooners were in port from Saturday to Monday. Today the customer market is much more eclectic and looking for better bargains with less time commitment, so the schooners have been experimenting with trips of less than 6 nights and even doing day sails in between overnight trips. While this change of schedule has been stressful to the schooners for identifying how to best attract passengers, it means that as PRIDE made her arrival to Rockland, the schooners were not only tied to the dock, they were coming and going as well, hence painting a more vivid picture to PRIDE’s crew of the goings-ons in the Maine Windjammer Fleet. Also, being Rockland is home for about half of the Maine Windjammer Fleet, the crew was treated to seeing more schooners than ever they had seen so far all year. 

Monday PRIDE departed from Rockland following behind some of the schooners as they made their way west from Rockland. This is not a common direction for the schooners to head as they leave on their 3 and 6 night trips. Where to head is all about weather and being an engineless sailing vessel. The decision also involves what is pretty about sailing in Maine. The engineless sailing vessels do not have the ability to cover distances to windward easily. Sailing to windward they do very well…surprisingly well considering the performance of modern cruising sail vessels. But it is a lot of work and can be uncomfortable for the passengers, who come for peace and quiet and good food. So the trick of skippering these vessels includes the ability to map out the weather pattern for the duration of the trip and conjure up a route that will be comfortable, pretty and one done under sail while getting to anchor before dark each day, maybe with time to go for a walk ashore. And in the end arrive back at the destination for debarking on time, not only to let the passengers off, but to get the ship and crew ready for the next group of passengers. Because the most common wind direction is from the SW and the prettiest sailing is concentrated to the east of Rockland, it is most common for the schooners to go east at first and go as far as they feel it is safe to go and yet still have time to sail against the typical wind direction back to their departure point. However there are pretty places to see and good sailing to be had to the westward of Rockland…in the right weather pattern. Considering the NW winds that were lightly blowing and that NW’erlys are rare and present an easy opportunity to go west, some of the schooners departing Rockland chose to go that way. PRIDE gave chase after departing somewhat later than the schooners. 

We departed later because of the rain. I saw no reason to rush when I could see the rain was going to end soon. Plus, the wind was so light that I knew we would be motoring some to make the next anchorage I had in mind. Unlike the Maine schooners PRIDE has built-in engines with shafts and propellers that make it practical to keep schedules and deal with contrary winds. The Windjammers all have some kind of mechanical propulsion assistance…but most of them get that mechanical propulsion via smaller boats, called “push boats”, which act as little tugs for the schooners. In calm conditions those push boats can send a schooner along at speeds of between 4 and 7 knots. But if the wind is up and against them that speed drops to very low and in many cases no ability to advance at all under power alone. This situation is another reason why the masters of the windjammers are expert at how their individual vessels sail so that they can always be in a safe place while making a schedule and seeing the best sights along the way. Meanwhile the master of PRIDE can take advantage of built in engines and the ability of PRIDE to motor quite efficiently in all kinds of moderate to light winds and seas. So we waited for the heaviest of the rain to pass by and then raised sail for sailing away from the anchorage. Only to start the engines after all sail was set and the anchor aboard to motor along at a clip to catch up with the schooners that had gone on ahead to the westward.  We saw the HERITAGE and the STEVEN TABOR sailing along as we caught up to their general vicinity under power. We soon stopped motoring as the wind filled in a little. But we did not have a chance to get close to the schooners and besides they were headed into anchorage ahead of another wave of rain squalls coming in from the northwest. PRIDE was able to sail on for a while and get pretty close to her more distant destination before the crew took all sail in and we motored to the mooring area I had chosen.Monhegan Island is a somewhat mystical island off the coast of Maine. Its central reason for being populated is lobstering. At least that was so in the beginning. Now it has a regular summer crowed of residents that add temporarily to the permanent population. This summer crowed includes a significant artist population. I had chosen to take PRIDE to Monhegan because it would be a more isolated aspect of Maine as well to see an artist in-residence there who is also a long time family friend of my parents. Monhegain Island is not a friendly anchorage for any vessel. In fact I was only going to stay if we could pick up a mooring ball and the weather did not show significant evidence of deteriorating. There was a mooring available. But it was set for a 60 foot vessel rather than for one of PRIDE’s size. But with light wind and a close eye to the squalls I deemed it safe enough to stay. In the morning the crew got a chance to get ashore and they were full of appreciations of the island as they got back aboard.The reason for going to Boothbay was to find some revenue earning opportunities during a low spell of such activities that often befalls PRIDE in August whenever she is sailing the whole season on the East Coast. After much searching there was a partnership formed between Pride of Baltimore, Inc. and the Boothbay Shipyard, located in Boothbay, Maine, that had the potential of benefiting both parties. The yard provided a dock and public access to the ship to enable day sails and public visits and the yard got a lot of publicity about larger traditional sailing vessels and their potential for preserving Boothbay as a ‘seaport’ rather than only a recreational harbor. For reasons of highlighting PRIDE’s visit and her intended day-sail schedule it was important to sail PRIDE into harbor and be photographed by the local newspaper doing so. With a NW’rly breeze sailing into Boothbay is not a simple thing. With a vessel as big and complicatedly rigged as PRIDE it can be rather a handful. No sooner than the crew get all the sail tacked across and the ship must be turned again to avoid going aground and the crew must tack all sail again. But the crew responded to the challenge and PRIDE did sail all the way into the outer section of Boothbay’s harbor…which was recorded by the local newspaper. As a result there was quite a bit of public interest in going for a day sail aboard PRIDE.

PRIDE is now in the midst of a seven port maritime festival campaign through the Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. From Portsmouth, New Hampshire PRIDE proceeded to Halifax, then on to Louisbourg and Sydney on Cape Breton Island. As I write she is proceeding in the lower Gulf of St. Lawrence into the Northumberland Straights toward Pictou, Nova Scotia. The port stops keep the crew so busy that it is all that can be done to make the ship presentable and give time off to the crew. Maintenance opportunities must be limited unless critical. Sailing time between ports is a battle between getting the crew rested and actually sailing PRIDE to where she is meant to be rather than motor. Motoring provides rest to the crew that have not only been working but have been playing in port during the evenings…hence accumulating little to no sleep. Sailing is of little to no interest unless it represents quite…they do rather want to sail than motor…and not a lot of work…i.e. not beating to windward. No, they want fair winds and following seas. Overall, since arriving Halifax, while underway between ports the wind has been light to negligible and rather foggy…except for today which is fair and dry. Except for two days in Halifax and one day in Louisbourg plus one day in Sydney the weather has been heavy fog or rain and wind. Having a flat calm motor boat ride with a sunny and dry day after a dry clear night means the crew are getting rest and having the increased comfort of being dry and warm while on watch. For the Guest Crew the conditions are nice but since PRIDE is not sailing there must be some disappointment. The run to Halifax from Portsmouth was meant to be a race. In fact the race got started in light NE’rly winds and all six of the same vessels from the previous race made do with the contrary but light winds. Watching the square riggers behind us three fore&afters ahead was a delight to see as they tacked their way to windward. We three fore&afters were spread north to south about equally distant from both the starting line and finish line as we tried to best each other with our efforts to go to windward. Three different vessel evolution periods and vessel sizes…each competing for an edge while clawing to windward in the light weather. URANIA, a modern ketch of only 70 odd feet to the north of PRIDE and SPIRT OF BERMUDA, a 1800’s three-masted “jib-headed” Bermuda “Sloop” of less about two thirds PRIDE’s displacement and 12 to 15 feet less waterline than PRIDE sailing to the south. All was fine until the whole international fleet, each vessel possessing a captain of significant international sailing experience, was enveloped in a squall that seemed to form right at our location. With little to no warning virtually every vessel was struck with enough wind to blow them over to angles of heel around 45 to 55 degrees. Some vessels took damage that was superficial. PRIDE had some deck gear break and injure a crew member creating a wound that required stitches. Considering Portsmouth was only 14 miles away I decided to rush PRIDE back for Shelly Colantonio to see medical expertise. The squall occurred about 1515 hours in the afternoon and Shelly was in the emergency room by 1800 hours. She is fine and home recuperating in preparation of returning to the ship. PRIDE remained in Portsmouth till 1500 the next day with the crew cleaning up and putting things back into ship-shape fashion. Local contacts in Portsmouth were of tremendous assistance dealing with transportation to run errands and accommodation of our injured crew member Then it was off to Halifax to make our arrival date in Halifax Thursday morning. Fortunately the weather remained light and when the wind did come up it was favorable so with engines assisting PRIDE was able to maker her appointment in Halifax with ease. Meanwhile the rest of the fleet tried to continue the race, but the persistent light and contrary winds forced everyone to drop the race and motor on to Halifax to meet deadlines therein. For four days the Halifax public came to the tall ships aligned along their harbor front. Time off was given to PRIDE’s crew by alternating afternoons off for each watch with full days off for each watch. The timing was based on when a back-up jib-topsail was able to be shipped to us from home considering the squall ripped up the jib-topsail we had been using. The replacement jibtop-sail required hanks to be shifted from the damaged sail and other work and doing that work with only one watch while also hosting the general public aboard was not practical. One of the by products of tall ship festivals is the opportunity for crews and officers of vessels to visit and get to know each other and their vessels. Having the same vessels participate in a string of festivals means this mingling of crews and officers can be the genesis of lasting friendships. In my career I have been a part of maritime festivals in North America since 1976. On top of that I have had the fortune of sailing either PRIDE or PRIDE II to Europe several times and participated in several maritime festivals. As a result I have been able to see friends I made at European festivals here in North America when they were able to visit. Having sailed to Europe myself 5 times in the last 17 years I am a somewhat familiar American face in European waters. It is a pleasure to recognize European faces visiting North America. Of course this can represent an opportunity to miss getting regular rest for myself as well. So today it is with pleasure that I find PRIDE motoring along on a flat sea with little to no wind. We are on schedule…and maybe a little ahead of schedule that might just permit for anchoring out again on our own before facing more really enthusiastic crowds of persistently hospitable Canadians. Cheers,
Jan C. Miles, Captain 

Since the last log PRIDE II has been busy doing day sails in Newport with “youth at risk”, racing in an American Sail Training Association Tall Ships Challenge Race between Newport and Portsmouth and continues with day sails in Portsmouth. Not a lot of time to get a log out to all you readers.

Sailing with youth at risk is a great departure from what PRIDE II is usually scheduled to do. But it was not a problem because of the background of PRIDE II’s crew. All of them come from other vessels almost all of which have programs for youth at risk as well as programs for youth that are not at risk. The result is that PRIDE II benefits from having a crew that know and understand the kids that came aboard in Newport.

So, all day, from 1000 hours till 1600 hours PRIDE II’s crew ran the kids through the processes of how to get PRIDE II to actually sail. None of this was teaching…on the contrary. It was all about mustering the kids into teams for pulling on lines that control the sails that make PRIDE II sail. As PRIDE II got sailing faster and faster, or tacked or jibed around Narragansett Bay just outside Newport, the kids slowly began to see their influence on getting the job of sailing PRIDE II accomplished. For me, there was a point of obvious futility seen on the faces of the kids if PRIDE II was not sailing fairly fast, considering all the work that had to be done merely to catch the light wind. But when the breeze picked up a bit and progress could be observed, repetition of activities gave everyone something to compare to…not to mention the obvious need to avoid crashing PRIDE II into something as she sailed…necessitating coming about or jibing. The kids began to see the value in cooperating with each other and some could even follow what the crew was doing and begin to do key things themselves.

There were three basic populations that came to PRIDE II in Newport.  Younger and more rural…shy but actually able to get enthusiastic about sailing PRIDE II after they got over their shyness and were working together.  Slightly older and more metropolitan…aloof and too-cool to admit to anything interesting about what was around them or each other unless it was the opposite sex. This group was probably the hardest to keep involved as a whole. But PRIDE II’s crew were able to bring a reluctant willingness out of this group and grudgingly they departed PRIDE II having to admit it was “different” and maybe fun.

Drug addiction rehabilitation kids…again a little older and more metropolitan…very circumspect of what as going on considering they were in a situation that was not of their choosing and had the director of their rehabilitation program on board with them and thus little room to divert from what had been planed for them. I found the persistent positive and encouraging style of PRIDE II’s crew while showing this group what was involved with sailing PRIDE II, causing all to be working together as she tacked and jibed, the real key to breaking through the strong hesitance of this group. In the end they may have experienced a greater impact of “a different experience” than the other two groups. Whatever they came away with, they performed really well alongside PRIDE II’s crew.

The ASTA Tall Ships Challenge Race from Newport was a very light air race. There were six vessels…there were supposed to be eight vessels. Of the six there were three “for&aft” rigged vessels and three square-rigged vessels.  Reaching in light winds the “fore&aft” rigged vessels got off to a fairly quick start. PRIDE II remained neck and neck with the newly built and light displacement SPIRIT OF BERMUDA till around midnight when the wind direction went further aft and she struck out ahead and never looked back. The third for&aft rigged vessel was URANIA from Holland’s Naval Academy and a modern ketch rigged vessel had a lot of difficulty keeping up. Meanwhile the German Navy’s training ship GORCH FOCK II caught the new NW’rly puff first as it came across the fleet from the rear after midnight and came up from behind like a freight train and passed PRIDE II by. The other two square riggers, TARANGINI of the Indian Navy and PRINCE WILLIAM of the English Youth Training Association began what became a match race between them for the full 234 miles of the race. Together they may have trailed the fleet but they represented the tightest competition of the fleet…at least from a boat to boat performance perspective.

In the end SPIRIT OF BERMUDA dropped out before finishing in order to meet a schedule for exchanging trainees in Boston…a light wind race can sometimes make closely timed crew changes a problem for completing a race. This permitted PRIDE II the opportunity of being first to cross the finish line by several hours ahead of the other finishers. Something like 6 hours ahead of GORCH FOCK II, this only because they made a navigational error by not honoring the second buoy of the race and only noticed this when PRIDE II, 22 miles behind her, went around the buoy. GORCH FOCK II turned around and raced back to honor that buoy hence crossed the finish line behind PRIDE II. URANIA managed to finish at about the same time as GORCH FOCK II. The last two boats finished within seconds of each other some 13 hours after PRIDE II crossed the finish line. With handicaps accounted for, PRINCE WILLIAM took first by catching PRIDE II’s lead with only 13 seconds to spare. GORCH FOCK II took third by not being able to capture the last 45 seconds of PRIDE II’s lead. This left PRIDE II finishing second in handicap.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire is not an easy port to do day sails from with PRIDE II. In fact, Portsmouth does not have any commercial day sailing vessels operating from its harbor. An interesting fact considering there is not a larger ship capable port between Boston and Maine that does not have at least one day sailing vessel. Part of the facts that may lead to this situation is the  nature of the river that Portsmouth is on and the relatively exposed coast it empties out on. There is really not a lot of sheltered sailing to be had and the river runs 3-5 knots at full flood and ebb. To add to the fun and games, PRIDE II did her day sails from up behind two bridges that needed to be raised each time she left and returned…twice a day…because there are no suitable docks down river nearer to the mouth. I marvel at the big ships that are piloted into and out of the river through those bridges carrying fuel oil, liquid gas and other products. But they are large enough that they are scheduled according to the times of reduced current and they are tug assisted.

PRIDE II did not have the luxury of picking her day sail times because of other schedules to meet like being open to the general public between day sails during the small tall ships festival going on with such vessels as PRINCE WILLIAM, URANIA and SPIRIT OF BERMUDA. As a result there were lots of times when steering PRIDE II through the bridges with lots of current making swirls in the river that would send PRIDE II some 30 degrees in any direction a little stressful. All this was made easier from the beginning because I was prepared in first class order by a Portsmouth Harbor Pilot who volunteered to show me the river for four different trips prior to PRIDE II’s actual day sailing schedule. Not having the coaching of the pilot would have made no difference in the outcome. But having the coaching certainly provided knowledge of what to expect which does have the affect of making things easier overall.

The river that passes between Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Kittery, Maine is the Piscataqua River. It has a unique lake like feature a ways inland and has a wonderful history of settlement in the early days of this nation. Paticularly interesting to me are the cargo vessels developed for negotiating the river. Gundalows they are called. There is a replica of one that is managed by a non-profit company that educates the young school kids of the area as well has published a book about the river. Gundalows are a barge like appearing vessel with a lateen like sail rig. The barge has one lee-board to help it track while sailing. Considering the strong currents found in the Piscataqua River, the knowledge required to make a living of transporting cargo and people on the river before mechanical power must have been prodigious in order to remain safe over the years of plying the river.

Cheers,
Jan C. Miles, Captain 

I’m Back…a phrase made famous by some movie…I think.PRIDE II is anchored in an anchorage I am familiar with from my early 20’s when I was mate aboard the Mystic Seaport sail training schooner BRILLIANT. For 6 years in the early and mid 1970’s I sailed the waters between New York and Boston hence have time in just about every reasonable anchorage there is to be had. Today aboard PRIDE II we are timing our arrival into Newport Harbor to match up with our Chesapeake Bay neighboring schooner VIRGINIA in a rafting dockage. She is going out on a day sail today…so we must wait till she returns to go along side her. This is a necessary arrangement, rather than have her alongside us, to permit us to go on day sails for the next three days with young passengers (14-19 years) presented to us by a program run by the American Sail Training Association. As we wait to raft with VIRGINIA, PRIDE II’s crew (and Guest Crew that sailed from New York) is attending to the demanding care our Maryland Sailing Ambassador requires to make her voyaging both comfortable and safe. In this instance this includes replacing the fresh water system water heater located in the engine room, stitching new bolt rope chaff covers to sections of the jib leach and foot bolt ropes out near the clew, re-seizing the rope strops for two mainsheet blocks at the deck back aft, polishing the brass in preparation of our arrival into the world wide known yachting and sailing town of Newport, Rhode Island and organizing the photos taken by crew of the various activities they and the ship have been part of over these lasts weeks.

Charleston to Richmond, Tuesday, May 15, 2007 – Sunday, May 20, 2007Charleston, SC has a well-deserved reputation for being a hospitable southern city. We arrived early and preparations were in full swing for the arrival of Tall Ships from all over the world. In fact, on the way in to Charleston we passed some old friends aboard the Indian Navy Training Vessel Tarangini as they were anchored off preparing for their arrival. We were given a dock location alongside a floating barge with the schooner Virginia on the opposite side. The festival in Charleston had a special occasion to celebrate this year: the inaugural sail of Charleston’s Tall Ship the Spirit of South Carolina. Every time a new schooner is launched there is ample discussion: how will she sail, what are the accommodations like, who is going to be on the crew? With so many sailors in town, the curiosity and anticipation was exciting.

Miami to Charleston, Thursday, May 10, 2007 – Tuesday, May 15, 2007PRIDE II is in Miami hosting receptions for the Maryland Port Administration. As in every port, we also turn to performing routine maintenance and repairs. Thanks to one of our reception guests we are able to secure local services of a welding shop to exact repairs on a leaking exhaust elbow – at the same time we put in an order for two replacement elbows to await our return to Baltimore. Our next port of call in Charleston, SC so we also put in an order to take on fuel while in Miami. With all these arrangements made we settle in to enjoy our receptions – the air has been filled with smoke for days – fires have been consuming forests in Georgia and the smoke has engulfed much of Florida. The wind shifts during the day and our evening reception guests enjoy a brilliant sunset over the city of Miami – a unique reception venue and a wind-shift favoring our departure for Charleston tomorrow.

Jacksonville to Miami: Monday, May 7, 2007 – Wednesday, May 9, 2007While at the dock far inland in Jacksonville, the seas and wind are up at the coast blowing from the E to NE. I enlist the help of the City Dockmaster to take a drive to the coast to confirm what I am hearing from the weather reports – a heavy surf crashes on the beach on either side of the mouth of the St. John and the wind going afoul of the current has set up a short, steep chop. The crew is stood down for now and we’ll wait for moderation prior to making the run to Miami.

In Jacksonville, FL: Friday, May 4, 2007 – Monday, May 7, 2007

PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II is moored comfortably along the seawall in downtown Jacksonville on the St. John River upstream of the Main Street Bridge. It always seems a bit disconcerting to have PRIDE II visiting places where access to the open seas is limited by external obstructions. In this case we can have the bridge raised to accommodate our passage, but only at times when there is no rush hour traffic – the irony does not escape us to realize that our ocean-going vessel is subject to the pace of life ashore. But still, we are safely moored and the sense of a well-deserved break pervades the crew’s morale and for most, sailing to Jacksonville is a new experience – exactly what the crew sign aboard for. Our visit to Jacksonville is part of the larger “Sail Jacksonville,” a celebration of the waterfront. While the US Navy has a base near the mouth of the St. John River and there are commercial shipping facilities along the winding river which extends well inland, Jacksonville is not commonly known as a destination for Tall Ships. During recent years the city has invited Tall Ships for festivals, which PRIDE II has attended, in order to promote their beautiful waterfront – a worthy mission for PRIDE II. So, PRIDE II shares the waterfront now with nearly a dozen sailing vessels, pleased to partake in the celebration.For reasons unknown to us, Jacksonville is the home of a good number of pirate enthusiasts and they descend on the festival with their black-powder cannons and muskets, cutlasses and healthy doses of “Aarghs!” Part of the festival involves a sailing pirate battle in which Pride participates in order to add “depth,” shall we say, to the gunplay. There is nothing like the sound of a 4-pound, muzzle-loading cannon reverberating off buildings in the downtown financial district of a city – closely followed by the cheers of crowds ashore – perhaps we can all share in the excitement of battling the powers that be – if but for fun and if only for a short battle. PRIDE II feels a bit constrained maneuvering under sail on a river with a steady current, especially when battling vessels a tenth of her size. Nonetheless, a fine time was had by all and PRIDE II returns to her berth to host a reception and to prepare for her onward voyages.