flywheel , the engineers reach for their oilskins and seek help from forward, where there is a marvelous machine called a P-250, which sucks water fro m the bilge in a colossal stream . Starting the P-250 can be nerve-wracking, however-a littl e like a Model-T Ford on a cold day. 4 July 1976: Nineteen tall ships and countless others pass in review for President Ford, aboard USS Forrestal, then up beyond the George Washin gton Bridge before heading fo r our berths in the North River. New York is suddenl y like a small town, people actually speak to each other. As we observe, even the ladies of easy virtue on West42nd Street seem genuinely friendly. 5-6 July 1976: The Monday after the Fourth of Jul y celebration is largely devoted to ship ' s work, but by du sk a party develops on Gaze la and on Bel Espoir, a French topsail schooner tied up alongside. As the eveni ng progresses and with the aid of what appears to be an unlimited suppl y of liquid refreshment we discover amongst ourselves instrumental talent we never knew we had. Bel Espoir'scompany includes a brass band, which shares its instruments with our people. A tuba and a trombone appear on our deck, and as the evening progresses many of New York 's finest join us. There appear to be no serious casualties, and plenty of fo nd memories. 6 July 1976: At dawn the harbor is still qu iet except for the sound of a trombone at the end of the pier and a small inflatab le with outboard and bedraggled crew head ing down the river. I must leave Gazela fo r other duties and the ship departs fo r Philadelphia.
Heading for Her Winter Berth 7October1976: The Mannheim clutch defeats the engineers once more. We approach Bannister' s Wharf in Newport at dead slow. A full-astern bell comes down and two men lean on the reverse lever. A mild shudder, stop, we eye each other. When finished with engines finally comes down we discover that the bowsprit has swept the wharf, clearing it of some minor structures, but thanks to Gaze/a' s well-stocked bosun 's locker, the repair party is al ready at work . No hard feelings. 11October1976: Heading back to Portland for her winter berth. An American fis hing vessel overhauls us in the Cape Cod Canal. The skipper is Manuel da Silva, an old Gazela Primeiro hand , who emigrated to New Bedford and SEA HISTORY 84, SPRING 1998
Gazela, today, at sea under full sail. (Photo: Lori Mager) managed to acqui1¡e hi s own Gazela. 13October1976: AITiving in Gloucester with littl e advance notice we ask the harbormaster if we can have a berth . "If an old Banks fishe1man can' t find a place to tie up in Gloucester, that will be the living end. " We ti e up alongs ide the Quincy Market Cold Storage pier. 16 October 1976: Another memory, under sail, so I actually witness this. We approach Portland in very light air, steering to clear Bell-22. With very little way on, Gazela and the buoy seem meant for each other, and the re lationship is gentl y consummated alo ng our port side. "A few scrapes" is entered in the log. 17 October 1976: Downri gg ing for the first time with thi s crew . Blocks and lines are carefu ll y tagged for next spring but are left on deck in the rain . Great consternation when we di scover that the ink has run and the tags are blank. Captain Steve Cobb and Mate deOrsay are able to identify most of the items. A New Year 20 January 1977: Bitterly cold. The black gang is overhauling the recalcitrantclutch in comparati ve comfort while wo rk goes on on deck. The captain 's spaniel , Ag nes , is keeping an eye on things when she is called by the crew of a McAlli ster tug eas ing alongs ide. She races aft, where a bit of railing has been removed , and goes overboard. MOB drill. A dory is in the water so Agnes is recovered , soggy but happy . 6June 1977: Thi s time Gloucester, with its large Portuguese community, has been forewarned of ou r coming. We are open fo r visitors and a uniformed brass band from the loca l Portuguese-American Cl ub pl ays on the pier. Two fo1mer Gazela Primeiro officers come aboard
for an emotional reunion. As a departure gift we are given several greenheart logs, some of which will later become part of the anchor windlass drum . 9 June 1977: Heading south from New Bedford for New York the Mannhe im is shut dow n. We are under full sail with a fair wind . I wake up in the morning sure that we are becalmed; the moti on below is thatofa ship in a dying sea. Poking my head out of the companionway hatch I find us storming along, a 35-knot northeast breeze on the quarter, lower topsail only, Jogg ing close to 10 knots. Beautiful. I never saw those guys take in the rest of the sail in the dead of night. 16 June 1977: We are much more relaxed. Li ght air and warm weather off the Virgini a islands suggest a swimming party. At the same time we sight a basking sunfi sh, not the most active creature of the deep. Since a dory is in the water, one of our number, a Kansan affectionately know as Jughead , decides to pl ay Yankee whaler. After being attacked with a boathook, the beast rolls over lazi ly, inspiring what came to be called the "Kansas City Sle igh.ride." O ne of the heroes of thi s period is Roland Wi llcox . Roland was an AngloArgentine who had experience in the last days of North Sea working sail and later as captain of a small coasting steamer trading fro m Buenos Aires to Patagoni a. He was also an officer in the Argentine navy and later came to Philadelphi a as the British consul. Until Roland came aboard whenever coming about was rea lly important we fired up the Mannheim to help her around . 20 June 1977: Gazela is beating up the Chesapeake in a li ght northerly. Roland, (Co ntinued on page 51) 27