TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Gulf Coast Series 2018
A Young Seaman’s Report from the Fleet
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photo by patrick quigley, courtesy neworleanscbv
s an 18-year-old fresh out of high school, I was pretty thrilled to work as an intern for Tall Ships America this spring. I was part of the crew that coordinated the 2018 Tall Ships Challenge series in the Gulf of Mexico. It was great to be working with ships and crews from around the world, including the historic barque Elissa (Galveston, Texas), the tops’l schooner Oosterschelde (Netherlands), the full-rigged ship Oliver Hazard Perry (Newport, Rhode Island), the tops’l schooner Lynx (Nantucket, Masssachusetts, and St. Petersburg, Florida), the schooner When and If (Key West, Florida), and especially the barque Picton Castle (Lunenburg, Nova Scotia)—magnificent vessels all, and operated by some of the best tall-ship mariners in the world.
by James Rogers
courtesy tall ships america
This was the first Tall Ships Challenge series ever held in the Gulf of Mexico, with port events in Galveston (5–8 April) and Pensacola (12–15 April), before coming to New Orleans (19–22 April) to celebrate that city’s 300th anniversary. Locally sponsored by port organizers, each event was truly a resounding success, both from the viewpoint of the ships that participated and the tens of thousands of visitors who made the trip down to the waterfront to take part in the events. The crowds came to tour the ships, meet the crews—some even sailed aboard. Along the way, they were introduced to and learned about the rich history of seafaring that these ships represent. Tall Ships Galveston was the first event in the series and it kicked off with a parade of sail off Galveston Island. It was a crisp,
sunny day with a spanking southeasterly breeze, and I got to witness some superb seamanship from the deck of Galveston’s own historic 1877 barque Elissa. Back in port, the ships were open for public tours over the next three days, with ships’ crews engaging with visitors to promote sail training and maritime heritage. As Tall Ships Galveston came to a close, the anticipation to get underway was palpable. Tall-ship seafarers are eager to share their ships and experiences in port, but ultimately they sign aboard for the passages at sea, and they were eager to set sail—myself included! I moved into my rack in Picton Castle’s fo’c’sle, ready to make the transit to Pensacola, the next port of call in the 2018 Tall Ships Challenge series. Sailing with us in Picton Castle were ten cadets from New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy (NOMMA). These high school students signed onboard to further their maritime training in the best way possible: under sail in a proper ship. New Orleans hosted an international fleet of sailing ships during the Tall Ships Challenge port visit as part of the city’s Tricentennial celebrations. Left to right along the waterfront are: Elissa, Picton Castle, Oliver Hazard Perry, and Oosterschelde. (top) Galveston’s Elissa leads the pack during the Tall Ships Challenge races in the Gulf of Mexico. Astern to leeward is When and If, with Lynx at right.
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SEA HISTORY 163, SUMMER 2018