The Four Sisters By William F. Wendler
Those who love the sea cannot use the word "sail" and "race" in the same sentence without recalling the famous clipper ships in full sail, each trying to establish the best time in their particular routes. Races , both formal and informal, friendly and unfriendly, were always taking place in the age of sail. Famed writer and marine hi storian Frank 0. Braynard has envisioned a project to bring back the tall ship races of a bygone era-"The Four Sisters Project." The goal is to hold a race between two or more of four "sister ships," each a tallmasted training ship belonging to a Latin American country. In 1968 the Astillieros Y Talleres shipyard in Spain delivered the Gloria to the Colombian Navy. This first sister measured 76m in length with a displacement of 1100 tons. She was followed almost a decade later by the Guayas, delivered by the same yard to the Ecuadorian Navy in 1977. The Guayas measured 80m in length with a displacement of 1100 tons. Three years later the Simon Bolivar, the third sister, was launched at the same yard for the Venezuelan Navy. She measured 82.4m and displacement was slightly larger at 1200 tons. Soon thereafter, in 1982, the fourth sister was built, also at the Astillieros Y Talleres shipyard. She is the Cuauhtemoc, built for the Mexican Navy. Cuauhtemoc is the largest of the four, 90m long with a displacement of 1800 tons. All four nations, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela, have been contacted by the Four Sisters Project Committee and presented with the suggestion that they initiate periodic international tall ship races by scheduling such a race between their own tall-masted training ships. A possible date for such a race may be sometime in 1992. The Committee has had the good fortune of having noted sculptor Antorrio Fabbricante create a beautiful, hand hammered trophy which has been named the "Four Sisters Trophy." It will be given by the Committee to the winning nation to be held until the next scheduled race. Currently, negotiations are under way to display the trophy at various locations in the near future. The first such public display is tentatively scheduled in New London, Connecticut, as part of the celebration honoring the 200th anniversary of the United States Coast Guard. During their celebration, the Four Sisters Project Committee and Mr Fabbricante will present another scu lpture to the United States Coast Guard in honor of its bicentennial. The Four Sisters Project Committee will continue to negotiate to bring about what it hopes will be the first of many periodic tall ship races . The Committee welcomes inquiries, contributions and volunteers. If you would like to participate in some way or can be of assistance, please contact the project's Executive Director, William F. Wendler, PO Bo:X R, East Quogue, New York 11942. D At right.from the top, Colombia' s Gloria, built 1968; Ecuador's Guayas, of 1977; Venezuela's Simon Bolivar of 1980; and Mexico's Cuauhtemoc of 1982-a/l built at Spain's Astillieros Y Talleres shipyard in Balboa. The "Four Sisters Trophy" has been created in their honor to encourage international races of the sail training ships. The US Coast Guard's Eagle also appears in thefirst and third of these pictures.
SEA HISTORY 54, SUMMER 1990