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It's the end of the season so I'll wrap things up and put the logs to bed for the year.

Pride II is now tied up for another winter at home. This time the winterizing process was complicated by having to find another place to secure the ship and relocate her storage/workplace ashore. For several years, we have been renting space at Egan Marine, located next to General Ship and Dry-Dock Repair which is just east of the Museum of Industry. Both of these are located on the Locust Point peninsula just west of the big red Domino Sugar neon sign. However, changes have come to the Egan property management and we had to vacate. Pride II is now renting space from the Maryland Port Administration Port Operations Department at a weather secure location somewhat more distant from the Inner Harbor than before. Specifically Pride II is now at 1920 Clinton St., which is just east of Canton and a little north of (and across the river from) Fort McHenry.

We have also had to consolidate from a warehouse space, which was 30 feet wide by 75 feet long, into two shipping containers of 40 feet by 8 feet and one of 20 feet by 8 feet. This has also forced us to lay all the spars - yards, topmasts, and gaffs - on the deck of the ship under the winter cover. In previous years at Eagan's, we were able to put them inside the warehouse.

As complicated as the change of venue was, it was complicated further by the fact it had to occur at the same time we were down rigging for the winter. Despite all this, the crew did a magnificent job of being flexible and imaginative. In the end, we now have three containers (two courtesy of Egan Marine moved courtesy of William Mason, Inc.) that are stowed in an orderly fashion and remain accessible as work spaces, albeit tight ones considering they are also storage facilities for all of Pride II's gear. The ship is now emptied out and all cleaned up in the fashion that has been customary for years, except that the spars are left on deck. All appears well for the winter.

In addition to all the above, the foremast is yet again on the ground for a rot spot repair. Having it on the ground also made the down rig a little more complicated. But Coreman/Imbach (a heavy construction marine company) was again generous with a barge/crane and did a precise job of removing the foremast and bowsprit. There will be a lot of work this winter getting things done and ready for re-assembly of the rig come March.

The crew this fall is quite a bit different than the crew that started the 2004 season. In fact there are only two persons that stayed the whole season. But all of the new additions that signed aboard during the fall have been great additions to Pride II's crew complement. I was saddened to see everyone go when all was done Friday, December 17. But that is the way of Pride II. The crew comes and goes on a six month rotation. Six month contracts minimize burn out and maximize return visits. These returnees continue Pride II's mission and operational heritage. Of all the new crew this fall, two of them were from past trips, so they helped the two that stayed all season to show the new crew the "Pride way."

The winter crew will come to work January 3 and be made up 50% of past hands, which will make things a bit more efficient than might have been the case without them while we become familiar with our new winter storage situation. The work set for this winter includes inspecting under the foremast rigging chain plates and channels as well as overhauling some midship plumbing and executing some engine room upgrading. Meanwhile there will be the usual overhaul of certain cosmetics. Since we don't have a building to work in and have only Pride II's deck under a plastic winter cover (plus the small work spaces in the containers), we will face some new challenges. A lot will depend on how wet and cold the coming winter weather will be. If we have a lot of sunshine, Pride II's plastic winter cover can provide a pretty balmy area to work on deck.

In the Great News department, another fifteen-year charter agreement has been signed between the State of Maryland (the owners of Pride II) and Pride, Inc. After more than a year and a half of negotiations fraught with doubt about the future, we can now focus on the fundraising to support Pride II's operations in a way impossible till the new agreement was signed. Of course, there is still the unclear future of financial opportunity and support. But this is true for almost all non-profits.

Our outlook for the 2005 season is focusing on a likely voyage to Europe. Our hesitancy, of course, is expense. Interestingly, there is not much activity on the East Coast of North America related to tallship festivals in 2005.

These kinds of activity have moved over to the West Coast for 2005 following the rotation of ASTA's (the American Sail Training Association) Tall Ships Challenge Races. This year the Challenge was on the East Coast. They will be in the Great Lakes in 2006. So, unless we go to the West Coast in 2005, the only activities available for consideration are in Europe. Since Europe is less than one-third the distance that it is to the West Coast and back, we are considering going to Europe. We are not yet committed to sending Pride II to Europe, but are considering European events in 2005.

One is a celebration of the 200th Anniversary of Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. This event is taking place in the Solent between Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, England. There are also Tall Ships Races running between Ireland, France, Eastern England, and Western Sweden.

These are followed by Celebrations of the Sea sponsored by Sail Bremerhaven and Sail Amsterdam (we attended both in our last voyage to Europe in the Millennium Year 2000).

The great hurdle for sending Pride II to Europe is the Europeans' outlook regarding paying fees to visiting ships. Because most tallships around the world earn their living by taking on numerous trainees, the only thing ports need to do to attract such tallships is to provide free dockage and services along with suitable trainee activities. In Europe, this simple financial relationship between port and visiting tallship is made possible by the maritime geography of the area. A vessel can travel all over the greater part of Europe by merely crossing the English Channel or the North Sea. Here in the United States, the maritime geography is very different. A vessel must go around the coast of the continent to reach all of the ports, then return the same way to get home. So, even with American tallships operating with trainees aboard, the distances involved are so great that the tallships are not as able to make financial sense of the distances. To help with this and in order to get as many visiting ships as possible, American port cities have been willing to pay appearance fees. These fees have become critical to Pride II's ability to go on voyages, particularly as she does not carry many trainees (we are licensed to carry only six passengers).

Appearance fees are not common in Europe. So, how will Pride II earn money in Europe if there are no appearance fees and the six berths available for trainees or Guest Crew are not enough to support Pride II's travels? That is the critical challenge for us in 2005. Got any ideas? We will be happy to entertain them.

Meanwhile, if you want to sail in Europe aboard Pride II in 2005, please make your interest known by calling the office at 888-55-PRIDE or emailing Pride2@pride2.org. Consider your expression of interest a vote in the election of whether or not Pride II goes to Europe.

Well, it is the Holiday Season. May it find you well and looking positively toward the future!

Cheers,

Captain Miles