A little rain never hurt anyone…especially a sailor

It was a wet and wooley race start out there on the ocean tonight. I am still swaying from all the bumping and tossing our 30ft Dory took.  The race participants are on their way to Boston along with Jennifer, our Operations Coordinator on Spirit of Bermuda, Nelly and Amelia on Virginia, and Matt on Europa.

Acrobats, Drums and Air Shows

Jolie Brise_Amelia Smith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was great to come into Charleston aboard Schooner Virginia on Thursday, sailing in with an amazing harbor view of the tall ships that had already arrived.  We arrived in the late afternoon, and after dropping sail, tied up near Tecla.  After a long voyage at sea, Virginia celebrated with a crew dinner in town.  We spent the evening walking around the quaint and historical city of Charleston, and though it is hot and humid, nights sleeping on deck have been cool and comfortable.

An international soiree in Charleston

Nelly

                Amelia and I went to the International Soiree last night.  The set up was perfect, they had food, refreshment and music set up along the dock with all the Class A ships open and festively lit.  The Capitan Miranda was one of the ships hosting the public and was having a private reception on the aft lower deck.  The crew was gathered on the bow playing music and dancing. They had drums, whistles and were occasionally accompanied by the ship’s horn.  There wasn’t enough of a breeze to match the heat even at ten at night.  As the crew danced with their drums, people watching from the dock danced and clapped along.  With all the cleats and eyes on the deck, the dance floor was a bit small but the crew made it work without tripping on the gear. 

The chocolate pancake dance

From Nelly…

Nelly up in rigging putting Penetrol on the foremast to prevent chafing

As we sailed out of Hamilton and around the island to the start of Race Three,  we were joined by hundreds of yachts, dinghies and even jet skis.  It felt like a royal escort.  

 I hate to admit it, but I couldn’t tell you when we crossed the starting line.  I had never set foot on a schooner before and I was often concentrating so much on what I was doing, mostly hauling and trying not to fall over, that I wasn’t always sure exactly what my hauling was achieving up in the rigging and by the time I was done I needed to move to another line.

 The last I was aware, we were waiting for the other race committee boat to get into position.  Then we were setting more sails and tacking, which involved a lot of hurry and hauling while trying not to slip on the deck. 

When Severe Weather Strikes

By Amelia N. Smith

 Dark clouds and lightning surrounded Schooner Virginia. It brought stinging rain in sideways sheets, stirred up the phosphorescence and decreased visibility just after dinner Sunday night. As the wind reached upwards of 55 knots, the ship’s bell began clanging eerily, adding to the chill from the shift in temperature. After 11 hours of lightning off in the distance, the sun rose in the east, a warm breeze came back and swells calmed down. Here are some thoughts and explanation from the crew about experiencing a storm at sea on a tall ship:

 

On A Roll…

Now underway aboard Schooner Virginia– here’s Amelia’s story on the end of the Bermuda’s festival and the past week aboard the Virginia:

As the festival in Bermuda drew to a close, crew celebrated with a spirited parade to Victoria Park.  Awards were announced and given for the race and parade.  Rona II was victorious in the crew parade category, dressed as festive and colorful “indians.”  Everyone I talked with had an amazing time in Bermuda, and appreciated all the thoughtful amenities given to crew such as free internet, calling cards and soft drinks!

 The parade of sail out of Hamilton on Monday morning was a great end to the festival.  Led by Cisne Branco and Kruzenshtern, Schooner Virginia followed Concordia with tall ships Europa and Pride of Baltimore II behind us in line.  Last was Spirit of Bermuda, who shined as the local vessel as she was escorted by a fleet of surrounding recreational boats.

 Though a hazy morning, most ships in the parade set sail as we neared Dockyard.  Europa looked especially magnificent in full sail against the morning light.  Heading out to the start, the wind picked up and seas began to rise.  To my amusement, Pride II broke the line and passed Virginia, joined by Europa.  Schooner Virginia isn’t participating in the race, instead using the offshore crossing as an opportunity for a celestial navigation course.  But before heading to anchor in St. George Harbor for the night, we sped through wind and rain to catch Pride II at the start and then turned back.

 Tuesday we took the day off to visit Bermuda’s natural beauty; caves, beaches and snorkeling.  Now we are underway, averaging about four to six knots in steady winds and scattered squalls accompanied by heavy rain.  I’ve been a bit of a sickling since I was unaccustomed to her rolling, but am starting to recover and become a fully functioning member of “C” watch.

 I just finished a sunny midday watch, and last night featured beautiful skies with bright starts and strong winds.  During the day and night, celestial navigation courses are taught by Professor Clark to the crew and two guest crew.  “Things are progressing nicely, although the sun has been elusive,” says Professor Clark.

 On watch it is easy to notice that Schooner Virginia is very much a teaching ship.  Trainees focus on four important areas when first orientated to the boat; safety, helm, boat checks and line handling.  During watch, my watch leader has instructed me on the compass points because the ship’s compass doesn’t have numbers, only letters to steer by.  I’m beginning to pick up on this pattern and system while at the helm and looking forward to learning more by the end of the voyage!

Race Three Update

Europa at Race Start in Bermuda

After a brief few hours in front (on corrected time) Pride of Baltimore 2 (US) dropped to second among the Class B vessels, behind Tecla (NETH) and in front of Belle Poule (FRA).  According to Captain Miles’ fleet plotting and calcualtions, yesterday Pride of Baltimore advanced 194 nautical miles in 24 hours, the longest distance of the fleet. A few miles behind was Peter von Danzig (GER)at 182 nm. That’s some fast sailing!

With Tecla leading  overall on corrected time, Peter von Danzig leads on the water, flying ahead of Fazisi (US), Spirit of Bermuda (BER) and Rona II (UK). For the German ship,  there are only 247 nm to go until Charleston!

Among the Class A’s, Capitan Miranda (URU) leads the pack, with Europa (NETH) in second (Go Matt!) and Eagle (US) in third.

In the Class D’s, Rona II  leads, followed by Urania (NETH) and Xsaar (BEL).

Information compiled from Sail Training International. For more information, please visit www.tallshipsraces.org  .

 

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

International goodwill alive and well

Not only do the ships race, but they also do a little rescue at sea. Read on to see how the Brazillian sail training vessel Cisne Branco helped a disabled sailboat. Cisne Branco will be in Boston for the Sail Boston event July 8-12.

 

The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Brazilian ship helps crew of disabled sailboat off Cape Hatteras

By Patrick Wilson

The Virginian-Pilot

The Brazilian navy ship Cisne Branco helped the crew of a disabled sailboat on Wednesday about 200 nautical

miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras.

The three-person crew aboard the sailboat Infata called the U.S. Coast Guard for help about 10 p.m. Tuesday

in rough weather. The sailboat, headed to Long Island Sound, had engine problems and its crew was unable to

set the mainsail, a Coast Guard news release said.

The Cisne Branco crew responded at 8 a.m. to a distress call from the Coast Guard to all ships in the area and found

the sailboat about 2:20 p.m., the news release said. The Cisne Branco, a tall ship, has visited Norfolk for

events such as Sail Virginia. It is homeported in Rio de Janeiro.

 

 

 

Next stop, Charleston!

Pride of Baltimore 2, Europa, Mircea_Bermuda Race Start

The ships are on their way to Charleston after a fantastic event and send off in Hamilton, Bermuda. The start of race three was aided by a brisk south-westerly wind blowing between 20-26 knots. First across the line in the Class A group was Kruzenshtern (RUS), followed by Capitan Miranda (URU) and Europa (NETH). Of the smaller B’s and C’s, Rona II (UK) was first, then Peter von Danzig (GER) and Urania (NETH). 

So far, on corrected time, Capitan Miranda is leading the Class A’s with Tecla in the lead of the Class B’s and Peter von Danzig leading the D class.  On the water, Peter von Danzig seems to be in the lead and in a fierce “fish off” with Fazisi.

Meanwhile Spirit of Bermuda and Pride of Baltimore 2 continue their friendly rivalry, with the two ships closely matched in speed, with the Spirit of Bermuda crew working hard to maintain their lead over Pride of Baltimore 2. See the picture below for great shot of the two of the ships battling it out on the water. . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here for some in depth analyzation of the different sailing strategies of the full-rigged ships versus the smaller sailing vessel, courtesy of Capt. Miles of the Pride of Baltimore 2.

A tall ship adventure aboard the Bark EUROPA

The American Sail Training Association welcomes Matthew Maples back into the blogosphere fold. We are pleased to announce that he will be living and sailing on board the Dutch sail training ship, Europa, from Bermuda to Charleston, Boston and Halifax. In addition to being a part of the crew, Matt will be contributing frequently to the blog A Young Man and the Sea:  A summer of high seas adventure aboard the tall ship EUROPA allowing readers to live vicariously through his writing and amazing photographs.

Read the first blog entry and read Matt’s bio by clicking on the page tab  “SAILING EUROPA” above, or by going to the following address www.tallshipsailing.wordpress.com.  Be sure to sign up to recieve email updates! You don’t want to miss a moment of this tall ship adventure!