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uel Eliot Morison, and various members of the Kennedy family. In spring, summer, and autumn, Black Pearl typically sailed in northern waters, working with adolescents from programs like Boy’s Harbor in New York and the Junior Naval Cadets of America in Newport. Perhaps the most defining moment in Black Pearl’s history came in 1972, when Warburton took her across the Atlantic to participate in the International Sail Training Races and join in the parade of sail in Kiel, Germany, during the 1972 Summer Olympics. It was a trip that almost did not happen, as Barclay was contemplating selling his beloved vessel. Instead, he breathed new life into Black Pearl with a major refit in 1971–72, with an eye towards preparing her for ocean voyaging and future sail training endeavors. In July 1972 she departed Nova Scotia with re-caulked decks, weatherproofed hatches, new portlights and ventilator cowls, and a new double-cabin. She also had a major systems overhaul, adding a Chrysler-Nissan 160 HP diesel engine, 4 black iron fuel tanks, new piping throughout, and all new wiring and electronics. With Barclay III as master, his son Tim as sailing master, two additional officers and eight trainees (including Warburton’s younger son, Peter), and a dog named Willie, Black Pearl made the trans-
Atlantic passage in good time and arrived in Cowes alongside USCG Barque Eagle as the only sail training vessels representing the United States. Black Pearl’s route took her through Cowes, Skagen Odde, Malmö, Travemünde, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Kiel, giving her crew valuable experiences at sea and immersing them in different cultures. Importantly, it gave the elder Warburton the opportunity to view the widespread enthusiasm in Europe for maritime training aboard traditionally rigged sailing ships. When the events of that summer concluded, Warburton returned to the United States to establish the American Sail Training Association (referred to as ASTA, now Tall Ships America), leaving Black Pearl in France for the winter, under his son’s care. In July 1973, Tim Warburton sailed Black Pearl out of Vigo, Spain, on a unique journey to retrace Christopher Columbus’s 1492 transAtlantic crossing, using historian and family friend Samuel Eliot Morison’s Admiral of the Ocean Sea as a guide. Black Pearl was roughly the size of Columbus’ ships, and Tim noted that they first spotted birds in the same area the famed navigator had recorded and that the gray Atlantic waters transitioned into a vibrant Caribbean blue at the same leg of his voyage that it had for Columbus.
courtesy sail training international
Warburton viewed tall ship sailing experiences as important tools for cultivating critical skills in young people, including self-esteem, self-efficacy, leadership, and teamwork. He also argued that these experiences helped build respect for both American and maritime history and would open the door to the ever-growing maritime workforce. Black Pearl’s debut as a formal sail training vessel was with Anthony Drexel Duke’s Boy’s Harbor camp in East Hampton, New York, in 1962. This marked the start of a short stretch during which Black Pearl served in three roles: as a sail training vessel, as an ambassador ship at tall ship and maritime events, and as Barclay Warburton’s private yacht. Her sail training destinations in the early 1960s certainly reflected Warburton’s favorite vacation spots: Nassau in the winter, Nova Scotia in the summers, and New York and Narragansett Bay in the spring and fall. In 1964, Black Pearl participated in the inaugural Operation Sail (OpSail), an event that refocused Warburton’s attention almost exclusively on sail training. OpSail ’64 was a collaborative effort, spearheaded largely by Frank Braynard and Nils Hansell, but enthusiastically supported by New York governor, Nelson Rockefeller, and President John F. Kennedy. The event ran alongside the 1964 World’s Fair and proved to be quite a draw for spectators and dignitaries. Warburton immersed himself fully in the experience. As he stood at Black Pearl’s helm, steering her up the Hudson River alongside the other tall ships, his friend and fellow outdoor education enthusiast— none other than Burl Ives—regaled the crew and passengers with sea shanties. Warburton’s son Barclay IV (known to nearly all as “Tim”) identified this event as the moment his father fully committed to sail training and marked Black Pearl’s transition from a personal yacht to a sail training vessel. The little brigantine still served as a home to Warburton as needed, and he regularly wintered aboard her in the Caribbean; she can be seen under sail off the Bahamian coast on a clear day in the 1965 film Thunderball, and Warburton used her to entertain celebrity friends like Sean Connery, Admiral Louis Mountbatten, Gary Moore, and historian Rear Admiral Sam-
The first international race of the world’s remaining sail training ships took place in 1956 between the UK and Portugal. The event proved so popular that the organizers formed the Sail Training Association (now Sail Training International) and began running it as a biennial event. Barclay Warburton sailed Black Pearl to the 1972 races, during which he came up with the idea of organizing a sail training organization back in the US. SEA HISTORY 182, SPRING 2023