The grand adventure begins

[Roger Long]

According to a memo which crossed my harbormaster's cyber desk yesterday, Portland's Tall Ship will be departing on a summer long goodwill tour and circumnavigation of Casco Bay on Sunday, May 30. Since it is expected that she will not be returning to Portland and will become some other community's tall ship, I don't expect the recently repaired fireboat will be out spraying water. Anyone boating in the area might want sail by to wish her godspeed and fair winds.

[Boatguy1972]

According to a memo which crossed my harbormaster's cyber desk yesterday, Portland's Tall Ship will be departing on a summer long goodwill tour and circumnavigation of Casco Bay on Sunday, May 30. Since it is expected that she will not be returning to Portland and will become some other community's tall ship, I don't expect the recently repaired fireboat will be out spraying water. Anyone boating in the area might want sail by to wish her godspeed and fair winds.

He has a new 5 day training program that he his putting his new volunteer crewmembers thru that should be finished on Saturday, then he will be sailing out on Sunday.

[Steve Paskey]

I hope those volunteers receive instruction from someone who's more experienced at boating and sailing than Mr. McKay.

[Roger Long]

Sunday, May 30

Portland's Tall Ship was evidently held in port today by extreme weather conditions that included winds gusting to 15 knots at the weather buoy and low visibility due to smoke from forest fires in Quebec, thus delaying her much anticipated grand progress around Casco Bay.

I went by a few days ago as her crew of a half dozen young people were receiving training from master mariner George McKay. Music was blaring and the trainees were swarming over the ship. It reminded me of those movie scenes of sailing ships getting underway where the director wants lots of action in the background so sailors are randomly climbing masts, sliding down stays, and tying and untying sails at the same time. I'm sure things were actually much more organized and focused but, even from 100 yards away you could feel the energy, the excitement, and the love.

We sailed by this afternoon and some of the crew were standing in puzzled looking attitudes staring at the anchor rode stretching way out from the bow. Just how do you pull an 80 foot high windage vessel without an engine up to her anchor without a windlass?

On our return, we passed her bow and saw the anchor line slacken and then being taken up. I dropped my son off but didn't see any sign of further activity on deck when I took my boat back to her mooring. The only place straight downwind is South Africa so, perhaps, they decided the time wasn't right to leave.

Still there at 1900 according to the Sunset Marina web cam:

http://www.efriendly.com/sunset.html

(Look just to the right of the crane on the large barge.)

I wonder if she will be there in the morning.

[Steve Paskey]

Portland's Tall Ship was evidently held in port today by extreme weather conditions that included winds gusting to 15 knots at the weather buoy...

Sounds like it was pretty rough out there.

[Hughman]

Epic. Those hardy souls...it boggles my brain...

[Roger Long]

Memorial Day 0715:

Still there. I understand that the agreement with the city to undertake this voyage includes substantial penalties for late departure so I would expect them to be underway soon. However, it's already gusting over 13 knots at the buoy so, maybe not.

Among this vessel's many contributions to the nautical knowledge base is a non discharge sewage system that should be of interest to cruisers tired of pulling up to a pump out station with a full tank and finding that it doesn't work.

Sewage is put into a plastic bag which is then burned either in the coal stove or a 55 gallon drum on deck. Almost every vessel I see now has a BBQ grill hanging over the stern pulpit so this simple and effective disposal method is immediately available to most cruisers.

We really should stop laughing at this vessel just because the sheer isn't fair and think about what we can learn from her.

June First:

Still there. I hope the Harbormaster has his Excedrin handy.