Ahoy Mates!

Permission to come aboard granted! Join me for my week aboard Pride of Baltimore II. We begin in port at the beautiful Inner Harbor of Baltimore. When I arrive, I am introduced to some of the crew. The crew are the men and women who assist the captain in sailing and running the ship. They are skilled sailors who have many other duties (jobs).

Jesse, the Bosun (the person responsible for all the lines and ropes), gives me a tour of the ship to orient me (help me to find my way around). Did you get a tour of your school before you started to help you to find your classroom and the cafeteria? Come along on my orientation tour!

Erin is the cook on the ship. Here she is cooking in the galley. The galley is the area of the ship where food is stored and meals are cooked for the crew. All of the cabinets in the galley have latches that keep them securely closed while the ship is sailing. Often the wind blowing in the sails causes the boat to lean to one side. This is called "heeling."

Can you imagine what a mess it would be when the ship heeled if everything wasn't fastened down or secured in some way? There would be stuff bouncing and breaking all over the place! Everyone washes his or her own dishes when they finish eating.

Some of the crew is just finishing dinner in the salon. The salon is where the crew eats their meals. There is a large table that can seat twelve people for a meal. That would probably be a crowd at your house! Here it is a normal meal for the crew. Can you see the ridges on the table? They are called fiddles. They keep plates and other items from sliding around while the ship is sailing. The crew also uses the salon to "hang out."

There are shelves crammed with books. The books are mostly about sailing or fictional stories about sailors. Where does your family hang out in your house? Do you have books there?

This is where I'll be sleeping and storing my gear. As you can see, my cabin is probably much smaller than your bedroom at home. My cabin is the same size as some of the crews' - but two of them share a cabin. This is where they sleep and keep all of their personal items. Remember that this is where they work and live. They keep only what can fit in a duffel bag as their possessions. When they finish a hard day's work, they are already home! Do any of your parents work at home?

Here we have the engine room. Even though Pride II is a re-creation of an early 1800's Baltimore Clipper, she has modern technical equipment for safety. This is the area where engine repairs and other repairs take place.

Morning

I am starting my week on Pride II in Baltimore. But unlike the other teachers aboard, I'm not going to be telling you about where I am. I'm going to tell you about what we are going to do. We're racing to Norfolk, Virginia, as a part of The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race!!!

Transportation in the 1800's

But first, let me give you a little history. In the early 1800's, travel over land was very difficult in this area because there were few good roads and the winter weather was very harsh. It was usually easier to travel by boat up and down the coast and the great rivers than to travel on land with horse and wagon.

The need to transport cargo fast, and the need to escape enemy ships quickly (the War of 1812 was going on), were the incentives for building faster ships. The style of ship that became state-of-the-art for the time was called a Clipper ship because it could shave (or "clip") hours, if not days, off a journey. Pride of Baltimore II is a replica (re-creation) of a Baltimore Clipper ship.

Much cargo was transported between the historical ports of Baltimore and Norfolk. Much of it was transported in ships like this, Victory Chimes, which was built 100 years ago. This competition made for a fierce rivalry between Baltimore and Norfolk. Both ports wanted to boast of ships that could move valuable cargo the most swiftly.

In modern times, schooners are no longer used to carry cargo, however, it would seem the rivalry did not entirely end. Here is Captain Lane Briggs, owner of the schooner Norfolk Rebel, challenging the crew of Pride of Baltimore II to a down-the-Bay race from Baltimore to Norfolk. This race restores the historic rivalry in a friendly manner. There has been a race from Baltimore to Norfolk for the past ten years.

The annual race raises funds for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation whose mission is to promote public awareness of the Bay's maritime heritage, and to encourage the preservation and improvement of the Bay's natural resources. The race is also an opportunity to foster the skills of traditional seamanship as an important and fascinating part of the history of our nation and our region. So, not only do a lot of people have fun with the race, good causes are served at the same time.

There is a record 42 schooners taking part in the race this year. The sight of these beautiful sailing vessels gathered at the docks of Baltimore is truly magnificent. Many of them are docked at the piers in Fells Point. This is how this historic seaport must have looked a century ago. Your teacher last week, Carol Corwell-Martin, told you all about Fells Point in her log.

On Wednesday afternoon before the race, many of the boats that will be competing in the race join the Parade of Sail around the Inner Harbor. Here is the Harvey Gamage, another schooner that will be joining in the competition. Many onlookers are gathered on shore to view the splendor of the schooners and to wish us "fair winds and a following sea." To a sailor, this means a steady breeze in the right direction with the waves moving with the boat. A sailboat will get its best speed if the wind is coming from the side and it doesn't have to fight against waves.

David Briddle, the gunner on Pride II, yells out "fire in the hole!" as he shoots off cannon shots to bellow our greetings of hello and thanks to our well-wishers.

There are four different classes of schooners racing today in the Great Chesapeake Schooner Race. The classes are determined by the length of the vessels. At a length of 160 feet, Pride II falls into class AA - 50 feet or more. There will be winners in all four classes. It's like the way you divide into different grade levels for Field Day at school, to make the playing field fair.

Go to Part 2 of the October 18, 1999 Log