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I joined the ship in New London, CT, Sunday, July 9, and relieved my partner, Captain Dan Parrott, at the end of his nearly two month stint as skipper aboard Pride II. Dan's time aboard included events such as OpSail Norfolk, OpSail Baltimore, and OpSail New York. It has been a busy two months, indeed! Now it is my turn to enjoy the fun.

My first event in New London was commanding Pride II in a pick-up schooner race between our old nemesis, Highlander Sea. Additional participants in this race were Californian and Alabama. But the real race was destined to be between Highlander Sea and Pride II. We have met in racing competition twice before with Captain Parrott in command. The first race, in Goucester, MA, was Pride II's and the second, during the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, was Highlander Sea's. Now it was my turn as skipper.

The New London enthusiasts had been planing this event for some time. Various sponsors paid for the privilege of sailing aboard the participating vessels for the race. Pride II's sponsors were a mixture of Connecticut residents and guests of Pride, Inc.'s corporate supporter, Tate Access Floors and their local distributors, BKM and ARI. Our Connecticut guests were from Essex Machine, now located in New London, and Mystic Village, a shopping center on Route 95 at Mystic.

The New London Schooner Race

Race day started out with light winds and a weather report promising that the wind would strengthen. Since the race was not scheduled to start till 1300 hours, the schooners spent the morning dockside as the backdrop for New London's ceremonies celebrating the coming OpSail Connecticut event and the new docks built to accommodate that event. Then the schooners boarded their guests for the race. Some 36 guests came aboard Pride II. This made a total of 48 persons aboard. That is a good crowd to handle sail - if the crew could get them organized.

The start was a quiet one in the light wind. Pride II started to leeward of the fleet and, with the wind on the port bow at a close reach, slowly crept ahead of the fleet. This was good news as both Highlander Sea and Pride II got equally good starts off the starting line. I expected that Pride II would do better against Highlander in light wind, so I was pretty relaxed. It was now a matter of getting far enough ahead so Highlander could not catch Pride II when the wind strengthened. Highlander is a longer and narrower vessel than Pride II. This makes Highlander a very potent opponent in a race of strengthening wind. Had the wind been strong from the start, there would have been no competition. But with light wind at the beginning, there was a possibility Pride II could hold Highlander off for the length of the race.

Just as I was absorbing all these notions, Highlander started to catch up to us. While I pondered this and began to assume the race was now over ('except for the shouting'), another change occurred. Just as Highlander was abeam and to windward, Pride II suddenly began to draw away into the lead again in the still light air. Even as I write I am not sure what changed to cause this.

It is possible the lobster pot maker we found attached to Pride II's propellers slowed us down till the line broke from the pots on the sea bottom. If this is what happened, the timing could not have been more opportune. Pride II continued to stretch the lead to the first mark and quickly tacked around it. The crew scrambled to pass over headsails and topsails and get the trim correct on all of them. There was a strong current that had been with the fleet as it headed to the first mark, but now that was against us as the course took us back to the starting area. While Pride II was aimed back towards the second mark, Highlander Sea quickly came up on the first mark and looked like she could catch us again. Californian and Alabama were far behind.

To tack or jibe, Highlander needs to take down (or take in) a couple of her best light air sails. So while she re-organized herself behind us on the second race leg, Pride II stretched the lead again. About half way down the second leg, I noticed the new wind line to windward that indicated the strengthening breeze that had been projected in the morning's weather report. The new wind would affect Highlander before it affected Pride II. This would give Highlander a chance to catch up again. And so she did, like a freight train! I leaned later that she was at one point doing eleven knots as Pride II was doing about 10 knots! Highlander presented a glorious sight that bore a striking resemblance to the black and white photographs of the Great Fishing Schooner Races off Boston in the 1920's. A most impressive sight indeed!

Both vessels made the second mark at the same time. I kept Pride II on the inside of the turn and the crew did a masterful job of handling sail. While Highlander was struggling to reset her powerful fisherman sail and fore-gafftopsail, Pride II again stretched out another lead, only much more quickly in the freshening breeze. Still, Highlander got her speed up and started to reduce Pride II's lead again. This third leg was for the finish and was a course that eventually brought the wind well aft, a strong suit for Pride II and a weak point for Highlander. There was a slight dogleg in this third leg and, at the middle point, the course changed to a heading further downwind.

At this juncture, Pride II's crew got the studdingsail ready and set.

I kept steering in a fashion to keep Highlander to leeward and unable to accelerate to windward of Pride II. This would keep her from steeling our wind. It also kept her from passing us to leeward because the wind shadow Pride II created was too big for Highlander to glide through. And so it was to near the finish. However, during the last half-mile or so, Highlander executed a desperate last effort and made a major course change to windward and caught a fresh breeze from the Thames River shoreline (the finish was right up the river nearly to the center of New London). In those circumstances, I would have done the same. But I assessed Pride II's position to be secure and did not respond to prevent this new maneuver.

Highlander closed up to Pride II quickly enough to overlap her bowsprit with Pride II's stern. But Pride II serenely kept the lead and crossed the finish line ahead of Highlander by about 10-13 seconds -- or about 100 feet from head-rig to head-rig! Pride II's crew shouted a rousing three cheers for Highlander after two cannons were fired marking the near photo finish.

A good party always follows the end of a good race and New London threw a terrific party. There was a New England ClamBake feast for all aboard the schooners and many who were not but came to celebrate the occasion. There was music and speeches by town officials commemorating again the new piers and the coming OpSail Connecticut event.

Off to Boston

Alas, Pride II could not stay. With obligations in Boston only 36 hours way and 150 miles to go, the crew got Pride II ready and off we went at 2000 hours into the fresh SW breeze toward Boston.

But more about that in my next log.

Cheers,
Captain Jan Miles