Rollin on the River

Tall ship sand sculpture

Posted by Nelly

Today was sweltering hot and full of visitors which gave Amelia and I lots of opportunities to talk to people from all over about tall ships.  The riverside was packed with families and sword wielding, face painted children who climbed all over the ships.  My favorite was a little curly haired blonde girl on Alliance who stuck her head in a porthole to peer below decks into the crew’s quarters.  There were all kinds of pirates today too, from Jack Sparrow to belly dancing gypsies; you could tell that they were itching for the battle that is being held today out on the water. 

The riverboat the Lady St John was offering free river cruises so Erin, Amelia and I packed on board.  The river St. John flows north 310 miles from Indian River County to the ocean and only drops 30 vertical feet (which comes to about an inch a mile).  This is why it’s called “the laziest river.”  Our river guide, Marty, talked about all the animals that call the river their home.  Most notably is the manatee, an endangered species, whose closest relative on land is the elephant. 

The crew party was last night which had live music and a great view of the fireworks.  I cannot remember the last time I had sat under a fireworks display.I had seen them from afar on New Years and the 4^th of July but having them explode across the sky right above me was an entirely more awe inspiring experience.  The fireworks company came all the way from Tennessee for the event and had two barges out on the river, one on either side of the blue Main Street Bridge which meant that there was a barge right outside the crew party.  It was an amazing display, lots of their fireworks shot off in random directions instead of following the normal starburst shape.  There was also a nautical themed music selection to accompany the show, which included every song that had to do with sailing, sailors, the sea or a “three hour tour.”  The fireworks must have woken people up because after that  display the dancing started with lots of the crew jumping into salsa then busting out some James Brown moves as well.

Ahoy from the Interns!

Spirit of Massachusetts sails into Jacksonville

Posted by Nelly and Amelia

Friday morning at 8 a.m. we were welcomed aboard the Pride of Baltimore II for muster as intern Amelia will be aboard as crew to Bermuda.  (Intern Nelly is looking forward to sailing  Bounty to Bermuda.)  After muster, 1st mate Mike went over all the safety orientation with us.  We then got to work scraping, sanding, oiling and painting to beautify her for the weekend.  The crew gave us a great introduction to the ship which has us looking forward to working aboard the ships and sail training this summer.

Hot temps and tall ships in Jacksonville

Pride of Baltimore 2 arrives in Jacksonville

It has been a steamy few days down here in Jacksonville, Florida as the American Sail Training Association and the Sail Jacksonville organizers prepare for the weekend festival that starts today at 4pm.  Most of the ships have already arrived and spent much of yesterday preparing the vessel for the tours later this afternoon. It was hot work out there in the Florida sun as crew tarred lines, swabbed decks, polished brass and headed aloft to fix sails and lines. Thank goodness there was an afternoon thundershower to give a short respite from the heat.

Sail Jacksonville readies city for arrival of tall ships

The ASTA Race Team is down in Jacksonville, Florida for a TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE(r) 2009 event.  Here is the schedule and the ships that will be participating in the festival along the Jacksonville Riverfront…

Friday, May 30 – Festival Hours 10am-10pm
Ship Tours 4-7pm

Saturday, May 30 – Festival Hours 10am-10pm
Ship Tours 10am-5:30pm
Fireworks 9:45pm

Sunday, May 31 – Festival Hours 11am-6pm
Ship Tours  11am-5:30pm

Participating Ships include:

Schooner Mistress
Roseway
Schooner Alliance
Schooner Voyager
Spirit of Massachusetts
HMS Bounty
Pride of Baltimore II

More information is available on the SAIL JACKSONVILLE website

Blind Date – Tall Ships Special Episode

  As the ships continue on their Bermuda-bound odyssey across the Atlantic, it seems that there is an added incentive to arrive at the island of pink sand beaches and sultry climes. The plucky Jolie Brise (UK), Tecla (NETH), Urania (NETH), Xsaar (BEL), Belle Poule and Etoile (FRA) have all joined in the “blind date game”, in which all participating crew will be paired up with a mystery crew member. Once the ships arrive in Bermuda in time for the 400th anniversary of the colonization of the island, all the matched crew will have a big blind date…What a fun way to meet new people!

Dolphins, Doldrums and Musicals

Dolphins off the bow of SPIRIT OF BERMUDA-STI Photo

 

Spirit of Bermuda hangs onto the lead as the ships race across the Atlantic Ocean for the island of Bermuda and we here at the Newport office prepare for a long weekend.   On the water, it is Spirit of Bermuda, followed closely by Peter von Danzig (GER) and Urania (NETH).  With corrected time,  the plucky Jolie Brise (UK) is in first, Spirit of Bermuda in second and Tecla (NETH) in third.

On Thursday (May 21), light winds created more work as the crews trimmed thier sails to get the most out what little wind there was. Skipper Simon Colley of the Spirit of Bermuda used these doldrums as a learning experience for his crew. “[There was] losts of sail handling- reefing sails, shaking them out, tacking as the breeze shifted…”.  To keep themselves entertained, the crew of Tecla serenaded those around them with some rousing showtunes and musical numbers.  Luckily, over the last day, the wind has picked up and the race is once again on as the ships head to the horizon.

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge is organised by Sail Training International with the American Sail Training Association.

Race information provided by Sail Training International. To follow the fleet, go to the Fleet Tracker.

A visitors perspective from beneath the volcano

We here in the Newport office of the American Sail Training Association have been living vicariously through the news releases and photos of Sail Training International who are the organizers of the Tenerife TALL SHIPS®ATLANTIC CHALLENGE port event. Soon, very soon, the ASTA race team will be travelling for the start of our portion of this summer’s race series in Charleston, South Carolina at the Charleston Harborfest, June 26-29. 

However, sometimes it is nice to get a visitor’s perspective about these events. A point of view from someone who is there as an objective observer, who is down at the waterfront solely to have a good time and soak in the festival atmosphere. It reminds us organizers to stop and take in the smiling, excited faces of the spectators, crews and volunteers. Here is a great blog entry from just one of those visitors, read and enjoy…and we hope to see you in Charleston.

A Life on the Ocean Wave- The Tall Ships in Tenerife

Only 2,700 nautical miles to go…

Yesterday was the start of Race Two out of Tenerife. Next stop, Hamilton, Bermuda, only a short three weeks and 2,700 nautical miles away. Conditions were perfect for the start with a north-easterly wind of around 25 knots so the ships were able to have a bit of a push as they cruised across the line at around eight knots.

ASTAnaut in Space!

It must be every child’s fantasy to either grow up to be an astronaut or have a parent that is one. In the latter case, no one wanted to go after Jason Williams during show and tell. 

Jason was an intern with the American Sail Training Association during the 2005 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Pacific Coast Race Series.  His father, Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams (COLONEL, USA, Ret.), was on NASA Expedition 13, and will be on the upcoming Expedition 21 (to launch in October 2009),  on the International Space Station. During Expedition 13,  Williams was the Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer. During the 182 days, 23 hours, and 44 minutes he spent on the station, two space walks were performed.

So, imagine ASTA’s surprise when we recieved this photo…

To boldly go…

Greetings from aloft, a message to the tall ships from the final frontier…

It seems like a clash of technology. The most sophisticated piece of  equipment ever assembled, designed to sustain human life in the dark recesses of space and a simple, wind powered machine dependant upon weather and manpower. But when you think about it, the two ships are very similar-   teamwork is required to ensure the safety and health of the crew on board, both crews take pride in their vessels and strive to keep her shipshape, and these voyages are the adventure of a lifetime.