Roland, as sailing master, at last teaches us how to tack: strike the fisherman, flatten the mizz.en, clew up the course, let go the jib sheets, stand by the braces, hard alee. (Continued from page 27) as sailing master, at last teaches us how to tack: strike the fisherman, flatten the mizzen, clew up the course, let go the jib sheets, stand by the braces, hard alee. Later: All night and all day we beat up the bay, to the joy of the black gang, who are manning the braces for a change. We get it down to five minutes. "Why Are We Here?" 27 June 1978: The black gang is not always below. Since Gaze/a is a square rigger and the engine is shutdown whenever possible, we call ourselves the propulsion department and are thus allowed in the rigging on occasion. Sundown, northbound, off Long Island. Grant Gambell, the sailmaker, and I are furling the mizzen topsail for the night when a pod of perhaps five whales appears off the port bow on a collision course, preceeded by a much greater number of dolphins . The whole parade drops under us and surfaces on the quarter, retreating into the advancing darkness. 4 July 1878: Joaquim Bensaude comes aboard. Quim is the grandson of Vasco Bensaude, the deceased owner of the fleet ofbacalhoeiros that fished the Grand Banks for almost l 00 years. He has never sailed on these ships and he is to get a rough introduction. Because of weather the parade of ships is cancelled and Captain deOrsay elects to leave. We plow into seas and set the main staysail and double-reefed mizzen. Bill Gaynor is on the bowsprit (the widowmaker) when she takes green water over the bow. Thanks to hi s harness he stays with us but with a badly sprained leg. Fortunately a doctor is aboard, but it' s a sad sight in the fo ' c'sle; Bill horizontal and the doctor losing his lunch into a number 10 tin can while ministering to the injured. "Why are we here?" The question is often asked. For fun . 28 September 1978: Bound for Portland , leaving the Cape Cod Canal. We immediately plunge into Cape Cod Bay against a 30-knot breeze and corresponding sea. The engineers nervously tend the Mannheim until we are well clear of the lee shore. After an hour of this motion B. Frantz is the only surviving cook, having prepared a generous pan of macaroni and cheese, a practical dish for a heaving, rolling ship. Alas, the only takers are the captain, the engineer, and B., who instead breaks out the saltines and ginger ale for those who feel up to it. 30 September 1978: Portland, the '78 cruise is over, the vessel secured at
SEA HISTORY 84, SPRING 1998
Gowen ' s Wharf, her winter berth. A party is developing, there is liquid refreshment and some instruments. We check that the clutch is disengaged and give the engine the little air that is left. Twenty people start the Mannheim stomp, from the weather deck to the saloon to the engine room , marching to the syncopation of that great old engine. The end of an adventure. How She Sails Today My Gaze/a experience ended in 1979, but an important chapter that follows deserves a note. In 1979 it became apparent to the crew that the Philadelphia Maritime Museum was no longer going to operate the vessel. The first manifestation of our concern was semi-humorous, the Gaze la Liberation Front (GLF) with a flag and fantastic dreams, even to highjacking the ship. The origin of the more serious organization, Sail Gazela, is a little obscure but probably started over drinks in Dr. Bill Tolford 's kitchen in Portland. When the museum finally did turn the ship over to the City of Philadelphia, the movement saw as its mission the preservation of Gaze la by keeping her sailing, prompted by the conviction that no wooden ship could poss ibly survive while merely tied up. The secret of Gazela's long life is that she was in active service the whole time. Thus began the bad years. The hi storic Mannheim was broken up and removed, bulkheads were cut through to facilitate the flow of visitors, and maintenance was a bit of paint now and then . Sail Gazela had about 100 members , a board of directors, a paid (very modestly) coordinator, and a mission: to find a homeport that would promise to keep her sailing. We personally interviewed prospects in New York, New Bedford, Gloucester, Portland, Bar Harbor, and Saint John, New Brunswick, and at a further remove, St. John 's, Newfoundland, Norfolk and Savannah. The fact that we did not at first negotiate directly with Philadelphia was perhaps a mistake, a reaction to the worsening condition of the ship, but in fact, Philadelphia was always a candidate. The Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild took over the maintenance and later the operation of Gaze/a. While its means were limited the nadir had passed. No miracles happened immediately but in the years from 1980 to the present the situation has progressively improved, particularly since the Guild took actual
In the early 1970s, Frank Braynard, a founder of Operation Sail, traveled the world, sketching the tall ships of many nations and inviting them to come to New York in 1976. This sketch of Gazela was done in 1976. (From Search for the Tall Ships, by Frank 0. Braynard (New York, 1977))
ownership of the ship. The improvement is due to the enthusiastic work of volunteers, to the individuals who organize the work, to substantial financial help from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to a generous and charitable landlord , the Penn 's Landing Corporation , to private donations, and to receipts generated by the ship itself by port appearances. She is not yet sailing free , but the fair winds are rising. ,!,
Today, the 115-year-old, woodenhulled Gaze la serves as a sail training vessel and as a good will ambassador for Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She is owned by the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild, whose staff and volunteers keep her in sailing condition and teach others the skills needed to work the ship. Anyone over the age of 16 is encouraged to participate fully in sailing the square-rigged ship. To join the crew or for further infonnation, contact The Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild, Columbus Blvd. & Chestnut St. , Philadelphia PA 19106; phone: 215 9239030; FAX: 215 923-9202; e-mail: gazela@usa.net; web site: http:// www .gazela.org. 51