It’s #TALLSHIPSTUESDAY! Let’s learn about Appledore IV

These next few months will feature our fleet of vessels that you can see, hear, and touch when they come to your host city this summer as part of the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Great Lakes 2016 Race Series.

Appledore IV – Photo courtesy BaySail

Where you’ll find the ship

Bay City, MI. This summer she’ll be in the following ports: Tall Ships® Fairport Harbor; Tall Ship Celebration: Bay City; Pepsi® Tall Ships® Chicago 2016; Tall Ship Festival (Green Bay) presented Nicolet National Bank; Tall Ships® Erie 2016

Fun Facts

The Smith’s adventures aboard the Appledores are chronicled in two books “Dreams of Natural Places” and “Sailing Three Oceans”. Herb and Doris sailed Appledore IV as far as Barbados and used her in the coastal day-charter trade out of Boothbay Harbor, Maine. They eventually sold the ship to try dairy farming.

The backstory

The Appledore schooners are owned and operated by BaySail, a private, non-profit organization. BaySail supports its Environmental Education and Youth Development programs through public sails, private charters, group tours, and port visits.

The schooner Appledore IV was originally commissioned by Herb and Doris Smith and built by Mark Treworgy. Launched in 1989, she is the fourth in a series of schooners built for world voyaging.

The name Appledore was chosen by Herb Smith as a tribute to his wife Doris whom he first saw while sailing a small boat off Appledore Island. Doris, who lived on the Island, was standing in the doorway of her home as the teenaged Herb sailed by on a sunny Maine morning.

Who Sails

All ages, K-12 Students

http://www.baysailbaycity.org/index.htm

 

 

It’s #TALLSHIPSTUESDAY! Let’s learn about Draken Harald Harfagre

#TALLSHIPSTUESDAY is back, y’all! After a brief hiatus, we return just in time for the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Great Lakes Race Series. These next few months will feature our fleet of vessels that you can see, hear, and touch when they come to your host city this summer. Let’s do this!

Draken Harald Harfagre
Photo Drakenexpeditionamerica.com

Where you’ll find her cruising around this summer: Redpath Waterfront Festival Toronto, presented by PortsToronto;Tall Ships® Fairport Harbor; Tall Ship Celebration: Bay City; Pepsi® Tall Ships® Chicago 2016; Tall Ship Festival (Green Bay) presented Nicolet National Bank; Tall Ships® Duluth 2016

Fun Facts

To be honest, this is such a cool ship, where do you even start? Two unusual things- they have no below decks and, yes, there are oars and they are utilized.

Her Backstory
In March of 2010, construction began on what would be the largest Viking ship ever built in modern times. Named after Harald Hårfagre, the king who unified Norway into one kingdom, the great dragon ship came together in the town of Haugesund in Western Norway. Visit their website for more videos and photos of the construction process, sea trials, and journey across the North Atlantic.

Who Sails
Individuals of all ages

 

www.drakenexpeditionamerica.com

 

Let’s do this

 

 

 

I leave on Wednesday for our kickoff event for the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE(r) Great Lakes 2016 Race Series. Wee! Redpath Waterfront Festival Toronto, presented by Ports Toronto, will be the first port to host the tall ships this summer and they always do a fabulous job of welcoming the ships and the crews to their lovely city.  For all of the ports and information about their events, visit our website. While you are there, check out the fleet tracker so you can follow your favorite ship as they sail through the Great Lakes.

While the interns will be blogging about their adventures as part of the Race Team, we’ll also be tweeting (@tallshipsfleet) and posting photos on Instagram (@tallshipsamerica). Follow us for updates about life on the road with the tall ships and general hilarity.

We also have five races, on in each of the Great Lakes, sponsored by Erie Insurance. While Ben and George get to be on the ships, they’ll be posting about their experiences here, I’ll be on the start line taking photos and making sure no one crosses the line early 🙂

We have eight amazing Host Ports this summer and I can’t wait to visit every one of them. Along with an incredible fleet of tall ships, it promises to be a banner summer. I hope to see you there!

Official Host Ports and their event websites are here.

 

 

 

Meet the 2016 Summer Interns

Benjamin

Benjamin Shaiman was born and raised in New York City. He grew up in Manhattan and was constantly presented with the parade of sail and shipping that daily moves up and down the Hudson River. Despite this geographical proximity, Ben was the first member of his family to take to sailing, and quickly found a sailing school a mere quarter-mile from his home. In high school a friend introduced him to the South Street Seaport Museum, and tall ship sailing became a passion like no other. Ben is now a student at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and still tries to find time in the academic year to sail with school’s club. Aside from sailing and studying economics and history, Ben is also an avid artist and musician.

George

My name is George Smolucha from Lincolnshire, Illinois. I’m number four of five children that were born in the first seven years of my parent’s marriage. We grew up close and competitive, sharing adventures. We spent summers and long weekends taking family trips to the family farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which is over 400 acres.

At the farm, no two days are alike and outside adventures are where I like to spend my time. There is the beach, the river, over a dozen quads, snowmobiles, snowboarding, hiking, and fishing. My favorite is battling for the fastest time on the racetrack we built on my sport ATV.

Currently, I am working on rehabbing a commercial building in Chicago, and I am looking forward to accepting the challenge to Tall Ships America. I am anticipating an amazing summer and developing new friendships with all of you.

 

Reception in The District

It’s been bonkers here at Tall Ships America HQ. The weather has finally  (finally!) started to feel like Spring, which means that the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Great Lakes 2016 Race Series is just around the corner. Our summer interns have been hired and I am excited to share their stories with you later this week. And, to top it all off,  I celebrated my ten year anniversary at Tall Ships America last month. Mind=Blown. You can read about my five year anniversary here and I have a post to share next week.

One thing that we do every year to set the groundwork for our TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® series is an annual reception in the U.S. Capitol Building (read about past receptions here, here, here and here). These events provide an opportunity for us to present and discuss future TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Race Series to an international audience. Naval attaches from all over the world are invited, along with political representatives from the ports that host the tall ships, and our Host Port Organizers. It takes about six weeks for us to prepare for this reception and then it’s all over within two hours. Whew!

It’s #TALLSHIPSTUESDAY! Let’s learn about Californian

Californian Underway

 

Where you’ll find the ship

San Diego, CA

Fun Facts

Designed for speed, Californian has nine sails, carries 7,000 square feet of canvas, and is armed with four six-pound deck guns.

The backstory

The Californian is a replica of the 1847 Revenue Cutter C.W. Lawrence, which patrolled the coast of California enforcing federal law during the gold rush. The Revenue Cutter Service, along with four other federal maritime agencies, was consolidated into the United States Coast Guard in 1915.

Californian was built from the ground up in 1984 at Spanish Landing in San Diego Bay. She was launched with great fanfare for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In July 2003, the Governor signed a bill into law designating the Californian as the official tall ship of the State of California.

Since her launching in San Diego the ship has played host to thousands of adventure travelers, sailing enthusiasts, students and history buffs up and down the West coast. She has also made voyages to Hawaii, Mexico and the East coast of the United States. Californian casts a distinctive and instantly recognizable silhouette and has become one of the most well known tall ships in America. The Maritime Museum of San Diego uses her for a variety of dockside and at sea educational programs along with public adventure sails ranging from a half-day to more than a week. Her annual tour of the California coast each summer offers residents and visitors throughout the state an opportunity to enjoy the State’s Official Tall Ship.

Who Sails

Groups and individuals of all ages

http://sdmaritime.org/visit/the-ships/californian/

It’s #TALLSHIPSTUESDAY! Let’s learn about Lynx

Lynx Underway

Where you’ll find the ship

All along the East Coast

Fun Facts

Lynx hosted three of Tall Ships America’s interns during the 2008 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Race Series. Applications are still being accepted for this summer’s TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Race Series in the Great Lakes. Check out the application here!

The backstory

The square rigged topsail schooner Lynx has been designed and built to interpret the general configuration and operation of a privateer schooner or naval schooner from the War of 1812, the original Lynx having been a “letter of marquee” Baltimore Clipper commissioned during the opening days of the war. Serving effectively as a blockade-runner and offensive weapon of war, she was among the first ships to defend American freedom. Dedicated to all those who cherish the blessings of America, Lynx sails as a living history museum, providing inspiration and resolve at this time in our nation’s history. She is fitted with period ordnance and flies flags and pennants from the 1812 era. To compliment her historic character, the lynx crew members wear period uniforms and operate the ship in keeping with the maritime traditions of early 19th century America. Lynx also operates as a sail training vessel to serve as a classroom for the study of historical, environmental, and ecological issues. In addition, she undertakes “port to port passages” that lead to personal growth and awareness through the experience of life at sea aboard a traditional sailing vessel.

Who Sails

School groups from elementary age through college. Individuals of all ages.

http://tallshiplynx.com/

 

It’s #TALLSHIPSTUESDAY! Let’s learn about Elissa

Elissa Under-Way

 

 

 

 

 

Where you’ll find the ship

Galveston, TX

Fun Facts

Elissa’s homeport is just under an hour away from Houston, TX where the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four and Championship will be played this weekend. Our intern, Micah Wisen, is a current student at Syracuse University and is pulling for a big victory for his Orange on Saturday!

The backstory

In 1975, a rusted iron hulk lay in the waters of Piraeus, Greece. Nearly 100 years earlier, she has sailed the world’s oceans as a proud square-rigged sailing ship. Cut down, leaking and decrepit, she waited a cable’s length from the scrap year. Today, Elissa remains one of the hallmarks of maritime preservation. Lovingly restored and maintained, she sails again, continuing a far longer life than most ships are ever granted. She tests her readiness annually in a series of sea trials amid the oil rigs and shrimpers off Galveston Island. Working under professional officers, her volunteer crew completes an extensive dockside-training program.

Who Sails

School groups from middle school through college; individuals of all ages

http://www.galvestonhistory.org/attractions/maritime-heritage/1877-tall-ship-elissa

It’s #TALLSHIPSTUESDAY! Let’s learn about Corwith Cramer

SSV Corwith Cramer: Photo Credit – Jeremy Harlam

Where you’ll find the ship

Woods Hole, MA (Homeport), Bermuda, the Caribbean and Europe

Fun Facts

Today’s photo of Corwith Cramer was taken by a former SEA student, Jeremy Harlam, who was a trainee aboard the vessel in the Fall of 2011. Thanks for the great shot!

The backstory

The Corwith Cramer was the first ship built to the USCG’s regulations for Sailing School Vessels. The Sea Education Association (SEA), working through Tall Ships America, was instrumental in helping the Coast Guard shape these regulations. The Corwith Cramer was built in Bilbao, Spain, and it took the largest floating crane in northern Spain to launch her. She is a safe, stable vessel and a platform for SEA’s educational and oceanographic research missions. Along with the Robert C. Seamans, the Corwith Cramer is owned and operated by the Sea Education Association.

Who Sails

Educators and students who are admitted by competitive selection

http://www.sea.edu/ 

It’s #TALLSHIPSTUESDAY! Let’s learn about Irving and Exy Johnson

Irving and Exy Johnson: Photo Credit – Stephen John

 

Where you’ll find the ships

Southern California and offshore islands

Fun Facts

Next week LAMI’s Spring Adventure camp will begin! Young persons aged 11-17 have the opportunity to participate in a variety of day long events highlighting various aspects of Tall Ships. Click here for more information!

The backstory

Irving McClure Johnson and his wife Electa “Exy” Johnson first met while sailing trans-Atlantic aboard Wanderbird. The two would go onto sailing around the world seven times with youth crew. The Los Angeles Maritime Institute (LAMI) launched the twin brigantines, Irving Johnson and Exy Johnson, in 2002 for their TopSail Youth Program. TopSail youth engage in building cooperation, courage, confident and character in the real-world classroom of the sea.

Who Sails

Youth/school groups from diverse, urban communities

http://www.lamitopsail.org/