Captain Robin Walbridge
(1949-201 2)
Robin Walbridge grew up in Sr. Petersburg, Florida, where he was first exposed to the wo rld of sailing. Starting out as a mechanic on houseboats, he then became captain of the Governor Stone in Apalachicola. H e went on to a position as captain of the Vision Quest schooner Bill of Rights, where he developed an affinity fo r sail training and yo uth programs. Like many of his colleagues in the sailing ship community, Walbridge served on a number of vessels before settling in to his 17-year career aboard Bounty. H e had served as mare aboard "HMS" Rose under Captain Richard Bailey, earning his 500-ton and, later, 1,600-ton licenses . In 1995, Walbridge joined the HMS Bounty program, and in those early years he also trained the crew of USS Constitution, which was preparing to set sail in honor of the fri gate's 200'h birthday in 1997. Walb ridge referred to the experience as the highlight of his career. Captain Wal bridge played an active role in seeing his ship thro ugh serious fi nancial challenges and personally oversaw the Bounty's re novation process th ro ugh three major refits in recent years. Captain Walbridge was beloved by his fo rmer crew and by the p eople who to ured his ship and participated in its sailing programs, which , after seventeen years at the helm, numbers in the hundreds for the fo rmer and tens of thousands fo r the latter. His dedication to Bounty and the history it rep resented ran deep. The loss of Captain Wal bridge and his ship will be grieved for yea rs to come. "For Robin Walbridge, the ship came first. As Bounty's skipper, he lived this seamen's credo to the fullest. Th rough his tireless efforts, Bounty was saved from the scrapyard several times. W hen I first met him, he took me th ro ugh th e recently reb uilt h ull with Marine Society president Captain Tom Fox, leaving us both deeply impressed with his closeness to the work. Later, I h ad the privilege of sailing with Robin aboard Bounty in the Hudson River, as a raw crew set rhe main to psail-a huge single sail in th is 18th-century replica- and Robin rightly congratulated the beginners fo r sending the yard aloft. "But," he said "now we're going to th row ourselves into the work and mas thead this yard smartly," whereupon he hurled himself into the job, tailing onto rhe halyard with gusto. He somehow fo und the breath ro si ng out, "Up aloft this yard must go." We wo n't hear him say rhar again, bur his work lives on in many who sailed with him and others who learned to rise to the challenge of seafaring. Fair W inds, Captain Walbridge." -Peter Stanford, President Emeritus, N ational Maritime Historical Society "Robin Walbridge was a fri end of mine. We met wh en he wo rked fo r me aboard "HMS" Rose in the earl y 1990s, and a few years later I hired him for some work with Bounty of which I was then sailing as contract captain . The owners liked him, and he began two decades of solid service to that ship. As recently as this summer, we sailed our ships together ( Gazela and Bounty) to port visits between Norfolk and Nova Scotia. Bounty was looking better than ever, and her crew had a number of stellar perfo rmers whom I had my eye on for future Oliver Hazard Perry employment. I await a casual ty report about Bounty's loss; I feel no desire to second guess, indict, or judge. If Robin made a mistake, he paid the ultimate price." -Captain Richard Bailey, Oliver Hazard Perry
Claudene Christian (1970-201 2) From an early age, Claudene Christian lived her life overflowing with enthusiasm and finding an interest in a wide variety of activities. G rowing up in Anchorage, Alaska, she excelled as a student athlete and performer, winning the Miss Alaska National Teenager pagean t. She moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California and won a spot on the school's foo tball cheerleading squad, the USC Song Girls. M s. Christian conceived of the idea of marketing dolls fas hi oned afte r the Song G irls. As a college freshman she successfully launched the Cheerleader Doll Company, going on ro market dolls representing cheerleaders from dozens of schools. After her graduation, Ms. C hristian contin ued to grow her company; she sang with a local band, and worked as a promotions director. C laudene signed on as a deckhand on the replica ship HMS Bounty in M ay of this year, and she approached her role on the ship with the same energy and drive she had applied to previous projects. Her Facebook page and posts to the social network Twitter reflected her close attachment to rhe Bounty: ''As a descendant of Fletcher Ch ristian . . . I'm sure my ancestor wo uld be proud." "So I had a to ugh day, lost in the sails[.] But it was sunny, warm & I am on a TALL SHIP AT SEA. Ir's a 'Boun tyful' life."
SEA HISTORY 141 , WINTER 201 2- 13
33