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At this time, Californian is in route from the west coast to join in the east coast tall ships celebrations marking the millenium. Californian, like Pride II, is also a topsail schooner. So, it should be a pretty interesting match between similar vessels. Pride II is a larger vessel and carries more sail area. Californian is lighter and draws less water. I have not been informed if there will be a handicap rating or not. Someone, no doubt, will make the point about the "challenge of the coasts" or some such thing. In the meantime, I will be ashore getting a little personal time off and helping the office staff with the summer plans as well as getting things ready for Pride II's upcoming voyage to Europe.

Our Visit to Cambridge

I last left you when Pride II was in Cambridge, Maryland. We had just arrived from a transit from St. Michaels, a not very long voyage in an early summer heat wave.

While Pride II was in Cambridge, the crew continued painting the outside hull of the ship while accommodating visits from local schools and the public. The ship now looks like it just came out of the paint shed. There is still a lot of cosmetic painting and varnishing to do on deck, but from the dock or from a passing vessel, Pride II looks pristine.

During our stopover in Cambridge, the ship hosted a Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) reception for Eastern Shore business interests. The party was a success in spite of the heat and humidity. With our awnings up, the shade, in combination with the breeze, made conditions aboard as comfortable as if one were ashore and inside an air-conditioned building. But my mind was on the cold front approaching. The radio was full of warnings about its approach and I had the radar on to watch for it. Soon enough I saw the cold front's rains on radar some 55 miles away. After a half-hour, it was evident that we would be enveloped by the front. It was moving at about 25 miles an hour. While most of it was passing to our north, its tail end was going to pass right overhead. The northern sky looked quite ominous towards the end of the DBED party and I advised the hosts that the wind and rain would likely be upon us soon after the party ended.

But I was wrong. It came in 15 minutes earlier than I had guessed. This put a stunningly sudden end to the party as guests ran to cars, caterers unloaded the ship and themselves into their truck, and the crew got the awnings down and extra dock-lines tightened up.

Even with this quick action, we were fortunate that the wind did not blow as hard as it could have with a squall cell passing directly overhead. The wind got to 35 knots, but we did not get a lot of rain. It also get cooler with the northwest wind blowing. Sleeping aboard was great that night.

A short Primer on Tacking

The next day was departure day and the crew got the ship ready while I contemplated the best way to sail out of the Choptank River. My basic consideration was whether sailing out was an appropriate thing to do. The wind was against us and the river is narrow. After some time, I decided it was worth a try and the crew responded with a will. We drifted off the dock and set sail without starting engines. As Pride II made her way into the river, the crew continued raising sail. The wind was still a little fresh so we only used the four lower sails (mainsail, foresail, staysail and jib). It took some 22 tacks to sail out of the narrow part of the river. Near midday, the wind eased and the foretopsail, maintopsail, jibtopsail, and the topgallent were set. We made another 6 more tacks before Pride II reached the mouth of the river and entered Chesapeake Bay. Six hours and 15 miles with some 28 tacks!

Tacking aboard Pride II is less complicated than jibing. But it is a lot more work when the wind is fresh since it means the forces involved not only include the wind force, but the added force of the ship moving against the wind. A wind speed of 15 knots can increase to 20 knots due to the forward speed of the ship towards the wind.

Tacking starts simply enough. As with most vessels, there is nothing to do but get ready as the helm is turned. When the bow is up into the wind and the square-foretopsail is well enough aback with the jibs also going aback, the order is given to "let go and haul". This means to brace around the topsail to the new tack. I want the jibs to be started around at the same time. Some captains like to give that order separately. Passing the jibs and bracing the topsail around are not easy things to do. A watch team of five individuals is hard pressed to get the topsail yards around in light winds. On a windier day, the effort needed is so increased that the foredeck watch often has to come help with the braces as soon as their jib sheets are passed over. Sometimes the braces are gotten around quickly and that crew must go forward to help the jibs sheets crew.

Then there is the foresail to pass over. Most of the time it is necessary first to bring forward the mainmast forestay. This is a unique stay for the modern sailor. It comes from the days when there was no wire to use for standing rigging. Natural fiber rope could be re-enforced by treatment with tar and serving, but still it was not the practice in 1812 to have the mainmast supported by the foremast. Hence there were mainmast forestays that were set up on the windward side of the foresail. In a tack or a jibe, it was necessary to bring forward the "lazy" mainstay and secure it before letting the other mainstay off and bringing it aft so the foresail could be passed over and trimmed for the new tack. In a good breeze, it often takes 8-10 persons to sheet in the foresail once it is passed over. The last element of the sail evolution of a tack is to pass over the main-gafftopsail tack, if that sail is set.

During the early tacks in the narrow part of the Choptank River when the wind was fresh, we did not use the square-foretopsail and other higher-up sails. But once the wind let up and the river got wider, up went the other sails to capture the dying wind.

The wind died out pretty much by late afternoon and I decided to head under power to an anchorage while the crew got sails put away and had supper. By dark, Pride II was at anchor between the mouths of the West River, Rhode River, and South River on the western shore of the Bay. It was a good day of training for all the crew. This training will be put to good use during our upcoming race across the Atlantic against the other tall ships.

Annapolis - Star Worlds Sailing Competition

The next day was arrival day in Annapolis. Sadly, the wind was nearly flat so we cheated and motor-sailed in with cannons blasting to wake the dead. School kids having lunch on the Annapolis Town Dock got a kick out of the cannons, or so their screams and shouts seemed to indicate.

Pride II's major event in Annapolis was to serve as a backdrop to the grand kick-off and opening of both the Star Worlds competitions sponsored by NORDICA and UPS as well the announcement of the first six inductees to the Annapolis Maritime Hall of Fame. My friend Gary Jobson of ESPN and at least one past America's Cup Champion were inductees, along with the well-known Chesapeake Bay racing skipper, Arnold C. Gay, for whom I sailed on a number of occasions when I was in high school. Arnie passed on some years ago, but his wife was there to receive the honor on his behalf.

The NORDICA Star Worlds Championship is a large and very international sailing event. Some 130 or more Star boats are racing for the week in Chesapeake Bay. Some 29 countries are represented. There is an added element of excitement to this championship as it will help select the last six entrants for the Star Class Olympic Sailing Championship in Australia. The ceremony opening the Star Worlds was held next to Pride II with Gary Jobson as the master of ceremonies. As each country participating had their flag raised, the scene on the Town Dock became very international and festive. Pride II's four cannons marking the beginning of the Star Worlds were quite an exclamation point!

And Off They Go!

I hope all of you have a great summer! Cheers,
Captain Miles