OH CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! J
ust as sailors come in all shapes and sizes, so too do their vessels. But most sailors, whether they helm an Opti or a 50-ft yawl, reserve a special spot in their hearts for tall ships — the majestic vessels that evoke the grand age of sail. Wouldn't it be wonderful to take command of such a queen of the sea? With that idea in mind, we thought it might be fun to chat with some people who did more than just daydream. We caught up with a few skippers of the tall ships that sail the waters of San Francisco Bay. There's no set rule for what constitutes a tall ship other than a large, traditionally rigged sailing vessel. Tall Ships America, a Rhode Island-based nonprofit dedicated to sailing education and leadership, said a tall ship can be a schooner, brigantine, barque, barquentine, brig, ketch, sloop or full-rigged ship — so, pretty much anything as long as it's pretty big. The organization counts 122 member vessels, but that's only a portion of such ships. Among the better-known tall ships on San Francisco Bay is the 127-year-old
scow schooner Alma. She was built as a work vessel to carry non-perishable cargos — one of maybe 400 like her on the Bay and inland Delta. She's now part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park at Hyde Street Pier. Her longevity is her charm, says her captain, Carter Cassel (who we featured in March's Sightings). It's likely that Alma's builders never expected her to last more than about 10 years, but instead, she outlived both them and all her sister Bay scows. "She's my lucky rabbit's foot," Cassel said, making it clear that Alma is more than just a place to work. "She's really won me over in a lot of different ways," he said. "I love putting her through her paces. I pride myself on not using the engines," which is something far easier said than done.
LATITUDE / JOHN
"She's really won me over in a lot of ways," said Carter Cassel of 'Alma'.
LATITUDE / ANDY
A scow is defined as a wide, flat-bottomed, blunt-bowed vessel. At 42 gross tons and 80 feet overall, Alma draws just under four feet with her centerboard up, meaning she can be pretty squir relly to handle at times, said Cassel. And yes, that's right, the Alma is a tall ship with a cenPage 80 •
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• November, 2018
terboard. For 42-year-old Cassel, who grew up sailing Sabots (not unlike an El Toro), taking command of Alma six seasons ago was a little like coming home — in more ways than one. "It's funny," he said. "I always laugh because now I'm on a giant scow — it looks exactly like a little Sabot, and sails about as well. Today, Cassel said his two daughters, 4 and 2, have grown up with Alma in the family. "She has been a playpen for my two girls." But Cassel has more in mind than fun and games. "Alma Alma is this crazy animal that has a little bit of everything. She has all the bad habits of all the different types of boats, and she's much more like the bigger boats I came off, and nothing like the smaller charter boats." Many of these characteristics have translated into Alma becoming a great venue for training crew interested in careers aboard traditionally rigged vessels. Internship aboard Alma for people looking for more tall ship experience is just getting under way, an effort Cassel hopes to see continue. Getting command of Alma wasn't the result of a formal training route for Cassel — such a "path" doesn't actually exist for traditional vessels, though some people are trying to make the process a little easier. After a stint at Cal Maritime Academy, Cassel went off on his own. He put in time aboard Hawaiian Chieftain, a 103-ft topsail ketch based in Washington, but formerly based in Sausalito. Cassel later found work aboard tall ships like the Californian, a 145-ft replica of the 1847 Coast Guard revenue cutter C.W. Lawrence, based in San Diego. "The idea that some knucklehead was going to pay me and feed me while I lived and worked aboard a traditional ship was impossible to pass up," he said. "It was like a seagoing circus that I got to be part of. You're all working to make this boat dance." Cassel ultimately worked his way up into command after starting as an unlicensed hand, commonly referred to as coming up through the hawsepipe. He holds a 1,600-ton ocean master's certificate, with sailing and towing endorsements. But tall ship experience is great training for young adults even if they don't intend a maritime career, Cassel said. "These boats lend themselves to making men and women from boys and girls," he said. "If you can go from one boat, and have a name for yourself and get hired on another one and know a sheet from a jigger, I think that you'll go ashore and