An Evening Reception on a Spanish Tall Ship

Over these past weeks, I have been learning and meeting many wonderful people from the sailing community. When I first decided to take this internship, I had an idea of what I was getting into, but not completely; now I am understanding the purpose of it, and where it can take me in the future regarding my career path. Working with the other interns, Mary and Meredith has already opened my mind to the types of sailing opportunities one can have as well as the plethora of choices one can take too. Before coming onto this small sailing community of Newport, Rhode Island I found myself in NYC working exhausting hours, running around without knowing whether all these part time jobs/internships were honestly worth my time or even of my interest.  At this point in time, I can say after meeting many groups of people that this was definitely worth joining, as the people I work with in the office have been teaching me so much from computing, marketing, publicizing, to what groups we are allocating our time and money, how to engage people in the world of sail-training and making overall connections with people on an international level.

The International World of Sail Training

This past week has made me believe in the kindness of the peoples of this world. It was a bird’s eye view into why I am sure this will be a summer full of camaraderie and excitement! 

As an ASTA intern, I along with my fellow interns, and ASTA staff, were invited to attend the Ocean Classroom’s reception in Boston. This was a wonderful event which raised much needed awareness about the ability for young people to learn and utilize skills which are learned aboard the Sprit of  Massachusetts, Harvey Gamage, and Westward.   It was a wonderful reception where I met incredible supporters of sail training.

This past week in Boston there was a total of 5 visiting vessels, which is enough to qualify as an event in itself! I was extremely keen to meet the crew of the Bluenose II from Canada (my homeland!) Bluenose II is a schooner crewed by college aged students and tours around the Canadian and US coast promoting sail training, Nova Scotia and Canada. My fellow ASTA staff and I were well received and soon proceeded to explore
Boston as a group of friends completely oblivious of the fact that we had only met hours beforehand.

Upon touring Boston we happened, by luck and fate, to run into two crew members from the Juan Sebastian de Elcano. This is the third largest tall ship in the world and is operated by students and staff of the Spanish Navy. How quickly we learned that a smile and a laugh is the only language necessary to make a friend. These two crew members invited the ASTA crew and the Bluenose II to take a tour of their ship and shared with us their stories of sail training in all of its glory.

The most important thing that I took away from this week was how universal sail training really is. It is one thing to teach, and it is another to learn, but to do so aboard a tall ship creates a willingness on the part of each sailor to explore the unknown. Whether the unknown qualify as sailing into the depths of the Atlantic, or saying hello to a stranger taking a tour of your ship, the skills learnt aboard a sail training vessel opens up each and every possibility.

 - Meredith McKinnon
2006 ASTA Intern

Alexandra – ASTA Intern

I am going into my senior year at EarlhamCollege but before that I’m hopping aboard the crew of the ASTA 2006 Tall Ships Racing Team as an intern where I will be spending my summer June 12-August 10 on the Great Lakes. Throughout this past year I have been studying abroad, one semester in India studying economics/politics and the other semester in Valladolid, Spain continuing my studies of International Relations in Spanish. I have really enjoyed my junior year abroad however I am ready to try something new, which for me would be sailing Tall Ships!

I honestly do not have much sailing experience except for a 22 foot Veterans boat that I taught physically handicapped children basic sailing techniques and giving them a fun day outside. Our camp was located in
Southampton, New York where it attracted many international staff from Europe. I truly enjoy meeting people from a broad range of cultures and communicating with them in their native tongues whether it be Spanish, French, or a little Arabic. It was a great summer and since then I have constantly been drawn to boats, sailing, and ways to travel while being with nature instead of just flying to places and landing there in a few hours time. I used to always love watching my friends who had some small dinghies and sunfishes that we would sail on Lac Leman while I was attending high school in Lausanne, Switzerland. Afterwards I always was eager to do more in this unique sport.

Our Race Director Jonathan Harley is an experienced, interesting, ex Olympic Director with whom I can learn a lot, as well as from those who will be on the vessels that will be joining us in July. Sailing is something that I used to think was extremely hard for young people to join since you can only do it in certain areas and one needs instruction to start off on the right foot. I am quite content to know that I will obtain the skills that will get me more acquainted with the sailing world and that will offer me more opportunities to practice this sport, as I love being in sun, feeling the wind, and flying over the water.

- Alexandra

2006 ASTA Intern

Mary – ASTA Intern

When meeting most families for the first time, parents recount stores from the past and bring out the pictures of “THE FIRSTS” first steps, first bath etc. When most people visit my house my parents recount the story of my first sailing trip, and my mother always jokes that I could sail before I could walk. Ever since that first trip I was drawn to the water, in later years sailing Ensigns and 420’s and holding title as Captain of the Sailing Team. It was this love of the water that attracted me to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy where I will graduate from with a Third Mates License within the next week. At the Academy, I was lucky enough to participate in once in a lifetime experiences, such as interning on an oil tanker as it transited the Panama Canal.While finishing up my education I was given the incredible opportunity to reside in Newport, RI. It is here that I heard about the unbelievable Internship which the ASTA had available. I am extremely excited about beginning my summer internship with the ASTA, and looking forward to the experience that it will bring with it. As well as looking forward to the amazing ports which will be visiting, I am eager to spend time aboard a ship, increasing my nautical knowledge and skills by learning through hands on experiences from experts in the field. As I beginning my career in the maritime industry, I consider myself lucky that I am able to take this time out and participate in this unusual and unique program. I am sure that in the years to come I will be able to take the lessons and experiences I will learn through, and from ASTA and apply them to my future positions in life.- Mary Schneider

Meredith – ASTA Intern

My name is Meredith McKinnon and I am a 2006 Summer intern at the American Sail Training Association. I began sailing tall ships at the age of 14 on an ASTA member vessel Black Jack. In the Summer of 2003 I was a junior crew member aboard STV Fair Jeanne and traveled from Kingston to Chicago with Tall Ships Challenge and ASTA.   This internship is an incredible opportunity for me and I want to make the absolute best of it. With that in mind I set my goals towards becoming a confident and able sailor, learning the inter-workings of a not for profit organization, and meeting sailors and landlubber’s from all walks of life!  My primary focus is learning. I look forward to achieving something new each day, from learning ship names in the office to understanding the most complicated sailing strategies on the water. I am sure that this summer will be filled with many surprises and I am eager to face them all!

- Meredith McKinnon

2006 ASTA Intern

Difference Between Sailing and Sail Training

What is the Difference Between Sailing and Sail Training? 

This past weekend, I found myself trying to explain the difference between sailing and sail training to a friend of mine. I thought that I would discuss what sets sail training a part from regular sailing, and how it serves individuals as a powerful learning experience. In doing so, I will draw on some of my personal experiences from sail training.

While there are many sailing schools and community boating programs around the country, these sailing programs do not necessarily engage in sail training. Sail Training is more than simply learning how to sail. It uses sailing as a platform to engage individuals in team building, leadership training, and personal empowerment. Trainees engage in their own personal voyage of self discovery while onboard and will often acquire skills that make them more effective citizens in the real world.

I am sure you are asking yourself how sailing on a tall ship accomplishes these feats. The answer lies in both the sailing experience itself, and the purposeful and deliberate training that is given onboard by the crew. Sailing on a tall ship immediately put most trainees out of their comfort zone and in a new, often uncomfortable, and unfamiliar realm. This type of environment puts all trainees on a level playing field and requires them to work together in order to sail the vessel and solve problems collectively. Additionally, with the proper instruction, and explanations from the crew, trainees begin to see the connections between what they do onboard, and how it relates to the world around them. In this way, the tall ship is really a microcosm for a real-world community.

My first voyage on a tall ship was the summer of 2000. I was sailing on the US Brig Niagara, from
Philadelphia to
Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was a life changing experience that has provided me with a solid foundation for my life in college. The experience put me in a position of responsibility and in an environment where I was surrounded by a diverse cross section of fellow crew members, that hailed from all corners of the globe. Interacting with these individuals, organically taught me conflict resolution skills, improved my communication skills, and forced me to be a more open minded and understanding individual. These traits, I have come to learn, are all hallmarks of effective leadership.

Finally, trainees walk away from their sail training experiences with an excellent understanding of sailing and seamanship. There are often environmental components onboard the vessels as well, and trainees become conscientious stewards of the sea. What more could you ask for from a program?

- Cal Pifer
American Sail Training Assn.

The Beautiful Great Lakes

Numerous people have asked me over the years what its like to sail on the Great Lakes. Unfortunately, many of these questions have to due with misconceptions about this unique body of water. While the Great Lakes were quite polluted during 1970’s and early 1980’s, they have made a remarkable comeback in a short period of time. I have experienced much of this transformation in my lifetime having grown up in Erie, Pennsylvania, and now returning to the lakes as a tall ship sailor.

In the 1980’s we were all horrified when the Zebra Muscles were being carried into the Great Lakes on the hulls of foreign vessels. However, to our delight and surprise, these little crustaceans began to clean the Great Lake waters to a stage that they had not been in decades.

Today, the Great Lake waters have the same aqua marine color that is synonymous with the
Caribbean Sea. Additionally, the factories that used to line the lake’s banks are now closed, and have been replaced by trendy restaurants, museums and shops. When I sailed on Niagara in 2001, I couldn’t believe how impressed I was with the overall sailing conditions, color of the water, and fantastic cities that line the Great Lakes. I was particularly impressed with, Cleveland, Ohio. You would never know that
Cleveland was an industrial city in the past; especially when you look at its amazing waterfront which now boasts the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a historic Steamship, and a Science Center Museum. Additionally, the tall ships fleet will often stop in, and around the Traverse City islands in
Lake Michigan. These islands are so desolate and the water is so blue, that I honestly felt like I was sailing in the tropics.

If you have never explored the beautiful and unique Great Lakes, this is a perfect summer to do so onboard a tall ship! You can also visit our four Great Lakes TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE ports in Cleveland, Bay City, Green Bay, and Chicago.

- Cal Pifer

Erie Islands

It seems like an unofficial tradition has developed during the Cleveland event of the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE^® Series. The Erie Islands off of Cleveland make for an excellent tall ship gathering spot right before the Cleveland event begins. Both in the 2001 and 2003 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE, we made stopovers on the US Brig Niagara in the Erie Islands for a raft-up with several other tall ships.

One of my fondest memories of the 2001 summer occurred when  Niagara decided to spend the night at Kelly’s Island before heading into Cleveland the next day for the Parade of Sail. We rafted up along with two Canadian schooners “Bluenose” and “ Highlander Sea” (Highlander Sea now sails under a U.S. flag). The afternoon was spent swimming and sailing the three small boats that we have onboard Niagara. After sailing a 200 ft long ship, the small boats were actually quite challenging for us to sail! The weather was fabulous that evening with a gorgeous sunset over the rigging of Niagara. The three vessels decided to hold a giant joint barbecue on the beach. I volunteered to help out the cook prepare hamburgers and hotdogs that evening. The cook and I prepared the food on Niagara’s woodstove and then ferried it ashore using our small boats.  We enjoyed a nice bonfire and the camaraderie of over eighty crewmembers that hail from all corners of North America. The peace and solitude of Kelly’s Island was most welcomed that night, as all of us knew that Cleveland would be anything but quiet and peaceful!  

Once again in 2003, Niagara and Bounty made a stopover in the Erie Islands. It was a wonderful evening as I got to catch up with old friends and crewmates while enjoying a bonfire and cook-out on the beach. There will be opportunities to crew as a trainee onboard many of the vessels attending the Cleveland event. If I had to make a prediction, I would guess that the 2006 CHALLENGE will be similar to years past, and a stopover in the Erie Islands will be a part of several of the ships agendas.

- Cal Pifer
American Sail Training Assn.

Great Lakes CHALLENGE

The Tall Ships are making their return to the Great Lakes this summer, and I am lucky to be part of the ASTA TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE adventure for the third time. My first experience with the CHALLENGE occurred in 2001 onboard the tall ship “Brig Niagara”. We participated in both the
Cleveland and Detroit events. The CHALLENGE is a series of races and port events that is designed is foster understanding and cooperation among the various international crews. There are so many memorable events from the summer of 2001 that it gets hard to encapsulate everything. I find it ironic that the very purpose of the CHALLENGE is to foster camaraderie among crews, because some of my most memorable experiences had to with inter-crew interactions. Whether it was a barbeque on Kelly’s Island with two Canadian Schooners (Bluenose and Highlander Sea), or an all out crew party at the Detroit Yacht Club, I made friends that summer that have endured five years later.

I retuned to the Great Lakes again in 2003 as part of the ASTA Race Team. That summer, the crews hailed from every corner of the globe including Holland and India. Don’t get me wrong, the sailing was fantastic, but my memories are still rooted in the fascinating individuals that I was able to meet. Enjoying a bowl of traditional curry along with the Indian Naval Attaché is not an experience that I will soon forget! Another memorable event was after a long hot day of maintenance onboard the “HMS Bounty”. We were anchored just off of Chicago – the buildings in clear view, and pleasure boats abound – when the captain called a swim-call. I was using a block and tackle from the main yard (one of the horizontal pieces of wood from the mast) to swing out twenty feet away from the ship before plunging in the water! I remember how many boats were gathering around, taking pictures, and cheering every time I would drop. Upon our captain’s recommendation, I then proceeded to jump from the bow sprit in the front of the vessel – some 30 feet over the water. You should have heard the excitement of the onlookers as they blew their horns and cheered as if I were an Olympic diver!

The TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE is more than sailing; it is a rare opportunity to interact with people of diverse backgrounds, and cultures, in a shared environment – the sea. While I will not be physically returning to the Great Lakes this year, I will endeavor to share my experiences with you as the summer progresses. It is my hope that you will be involved with the CHALLENGE in some fashion this summer – whether you sail on a tall ships, attend a port event, or simply follow our regularly updated CHALLENGE Blog.

- Cal Pifer
American Sail Training Assn.