Young salt Abranson mends sail aboard
Marques, a 1915 Spanish trading schooner since rerigged as bark, aboard which Mariners International educates young and old in traditional seafaring.
Old Salts Do Not Lose Their Savor By Erik C. Abranson, President Mariners International
Our Maridme Heritage We support the Ship Trust of th e National Maritime Historical Society, and we take an active interest in the preservation of historic ships . Used for training young seamen at our Harry Lundeberg Schoo l, Piney Point, Md., is the 250 foot S.S. Dauntless, wartime fla gship of Fleet Adm iral Ernest J. King and, as such, fla gship of the entire U.S. Navy. We have a lso preserved two Chesapeake Bay sa iling ship types, the 77-year-old Dorothy Parsons, last of the rakish bugeye freighters, and the 40-year-old Joy Parks, one of the van ishing fleet of ski pjack oyster boats. These vessels are avai lable for public viewing at the schoo l on the first Sunday of eac h month from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Paul Hall, President Frank Drozak, Exec. Vice President-
Seafarers International Union 6 75 Fourth Avenue, Brookl yn, NY 11232
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The old timers take some beating, if indeed they can be beaten by our comfortbred generation. Last year I helped deliver the topsail schooner Esther Lohse to the German sail training association ClipperDeutsche Jugendwerk zur See. We had on board Captain Peter Lohmeyer, representing the buyers. He had been trained on the full-rigged Grossherzagin Elisabeth (now Duchesse-Anne, seep. 17), and had been round Cape Horn twice in the bark Bremen. He was captain of the German sail trainer Gorch Pock, 1966-69. We went aloft together to furl Esther Lohse 's square topsail. I had never been in such unsafe rigging. There were no ratlines in the topmast shrouds, so we had to use blocks as foot-and handholds and shin up the bare pole until we reached the yard, which had no jackstay suitable for clipping on and worse, had a footrope so badly placed that one was all the time in :m unstable position. Although used to square rig I was far from happy but refrained from any comments as Captain Lohmeyer, over 70 years of age, was up there with me handling his yardarm without hesitation. As we were climbing down he said: "We cannot leave that as it is, it is totally unsafe for young trainees!" Captain Godfrey Wicksteed, who was Alan Villier's shipmate in the Be/lands, serves as rigging advisor today aboard Cutty Sark, and at 80 years old still goes out on the royal yard. Since I saw him do it, I have less sympathy for young trainees who get gallied at the futtock shrouds! He is Mariners Jnternational's senior member, and he does us honor. I regret having been born too late to sail in the real ships, but am thankful to have met and sailed with some of the last real sailors. Let me belay and coil down now. It is four bells in the graveyard watch-and I just don't hav1e Their stamina. ..t SEA HllSTORY, WINTER 1980