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 officers on the bridge had been chiming in with the ship’s horn, which we had been hearing all weekend as they showed it off during the prize giving ceremony yesterday afternoon and as they arrived in Charleston.  Amelia and I had been up on deck when the horn blew earlier and had still barely recovered. 

                When I saw that the horn and the handle were just outside the navigation station I asked Santiago, one of my favorite dance partners, if I could do it.  He nodded yes and we hopped up there.  I was sure to tell the people who were standing right in front of it to cover their ears before sounding the horn which can be heard across the harbor.  It was so sweet!

Nelly, bow your horn!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                After helping ourselves to deluxe macaroni and cheese, we boarded Kruzenshtern (her mast is much better and she will be racing with the fleet on Monday) next.  While on board, I saw the officer who had helped me with the vessel survey in Bermuda and he snagged a young cadet to give us a tour of the ship and its museum.  We peaked down the hatch into the engine room which was larger than all of the class C and D vessels!  The wheel was taller than me and took four people to steer.  The museum was full of original documents and photographs from the ships history. It also housed all the prizes she’d won and the “Tree of Life” a special display piece of objects they’d picked up in their world travels.  A hand painted globe about four feet in diameter was displayed, complete with lights that corresponded to constellations which were displayed on the ceiling.  We also saw a certificate, pins and a plaque from their first ASTA Tall Ships Series in 1974.