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DATE: Monday, August 15, 2005

LOCATION: North Sea enroute to Baltimore Ireland

ENTERED BY: Captain John
Beebe-Center
 

Greetings all from the North Sea!  As I write, we are sailing in north-by-west breezes to Force 7 (30-35 knots) with staysail, foresail, reefed main, and foretopsail.  The good news is that it's not raining and the wind is one point "free" with us sailing to the west.  Twenty-five more miles will see us clear of the German Bight and heading south for the English Channel.  The barometer is steadily rising and the sun is actually threatening to break through!  What else could sailors ask for?

Tallships Bremerhaven

Since I last wrote, the ship continued to enjoy its stay in Bremerhaven, balancing getting needed maintenance done with giving the crew time off to explore the city.  Some of the more pressing work to be done on PRIDE II while we were in port was to caulk up parts of her deck, where leaks had developed during her many lively passages.  Also, during our stay in Bremerhaven, more than 10,000 people came aboard to view the ship.

There was plenty to see and do in Bremerhaven, especially along the waterfront where the Maritime Museum and the zoo are located.  Beyond that, it seemed that every vending entrepreneur had set up shop by the ships and were selling every manner of food stuffs known to humans.  You recall "foot long" hotdogs?  Well, try a "half meter" Bratwurst!

The Maritime Museum was top notch, spanning hundreds of years of maritime history - from the "Cogs" of the 800s to modern yachts and everything in between.  But the zoo, located right on the water where we first locked into the harbor, was certainly my wife Deborah's favorite.  They specialize in marine mammals with seals, sea lions, and "Icebars," (polar bears) as the primary attractions.

On Friday, August 12, more than 2,000 crew from the several hundred ships gathered at the northern end of the waterfront to participate in a Crew Parade through the streets of the city.  The PRIDE II crew was there carrying flags of the United States and Maryland.  We enjoyed the walk through the streets with our brethren sailors, amid the ovations of the crowds who had turned out to see us.  We received lots of applause for the American flag.  The parade ended at the beach, south of the town, where the organizers had arranged for dinner and beverages for the whole gang.  A festive time was had by all.

Throughout the week, it was also my pleasure to be invited to functions aboard other tall ships.  I had a great luncheon aboard the SHABAB OMAN, the Omani sail training ship, and attended a reception aboard the MIRCEA of Romania.  It is an irony of large sail gatherings that the sailors often don't have an opportunity to visit with one another, as they are so busy with functions and the business of their ships.  Therefore, it was a real pleasure to visit with Captain Chris on the SHABAB, a longtime friend of PRIDE II's and to become acquainted with the officers of MIRCEA.  MIRCEA, by the way, visited Baltimore's Inner Harbor during the summer of 2004 and they wished to express how much they enjoyed their stay.

And so, that leads me up to the point of describing the huge Parade of Sail, which was a high point and the final act of the Bremerhaven Tallship Festival.  It began at 0430 hours (that's 4:30 AM), when the first tallships began to be locked out of the harbor.  All the docks for Bremerhaven are inside tidal control devices and so several hundred tall ships needed to get to sea at about the same time.

Our turn came at 0730 and we traversed the entire inner basin of Bremerhaven, bringing us up to the northernmost lock.  By 0930, we were again in the river and by 1100 anchored up in a bend in the Wesser River.  There were more than 100 vessels anchored by 1300 and so began the next Herculean task - getting us all underway and forming some sort of a parade.  It wasn't until 1600 that our flotilla, number 9, actually began to move.  We had a front row seat as vessel after vessel eased by and exchanged horn salutes, flag honors, and occasional cannon fire tributes.

At Sea in route to Baltimore, Ireland

The port of Bremerhaven and its celebration is behind us, and we are turning our bow to the south, possibly to dryer weather - but who can know.  We are enroute to Baltimore, Ireland - a home away from home for both the original PRIDE and PRIDE II.  My partner, Captain Jan Miles, will join us there and we will exchange commands - allowing me to return to our office and measure how high the pile of paperwork to be done has grown.

Until the next time, stay dry.
Captain Beebe-Center