THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, June 26, 1995 TAG: 9506260028
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
The tall-ship faithful ignored an afternoon cloudburst that soaked the riverfront Sunday, unwilling to miss their last day to schmooze with crews from Uruguay, Venezuela, Belgium and the United States.
This morning, the ships set sail, heading into the Atlantic just beyond the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel where, at 2 p.m., the Americas' Sail '95 race will begin. It's expected to end late in the week when one of the sailing ships crosses the finish line south of New Haven, Conn.
``I hate to see them leave,'' said Chris Ridgley, 23, of Norfolk as he gazed at the pier behind Nauticus where most of the fleet was tied up. ``I was down here last night, and those guys from the Miranda are wild! They know how to party.''
And party they did, transforming a scheduled evening of music on the Nauticus pier into a South American-style carnival.
It started when the band from Uruguay's tall ship, the Capitan Miranda, strolled from the deck and onto the pier. The musicians wore headbands emblazoned with their ship's name as they moved along the pier, their samba music proving an intoxicating lure.
Under Nauticus, where the evening's dockside party was already under way, they joined the scheduled band, Bio Ritmo.
The conga lines that were snaking their way about crossed every possible cultural line, including Venezuelan and Uruguayan officers and midshipmen in dress whites, festival-goers in shorts and T-shirts, crewmen from the Coast Guard cutter Eagle and from other ships, some in pirate-like costume, and women in fancy dresses and slacks. Jennifer Mielke, 20, of Norfolk, did something she had never done before: sharing a dance floor with her mother, Pam Mielke.
``This is great, it's wonderful,'' the younger Mielke said when she finally took a break. ``It was very different. A lot different than the music at Tech.''
Some folks didn't want to leave. Even after the scheduled band had finished and was packing up, the Capitan Miranda crew grinned and drummed on. They got no argument from a few hundred of the most hardy party animals - many of them Festevents workers and Americas' Sail participants.
``It's unbelievable,'' said Rob Robbins, 22, of Norfolk who was slick with sweat after more than an hour in the mob.
Earlier, Robbins had been among a formally dressed crowd attending a reception aboard the Simon Bolivar from Venezuela. But after a stint of what he called ``Latino line dancing,'' his unbuttoned shirt was hanging out of his pants, his tie was draped over his shoulders and he was happily exhausted.
Even police on security patrol were lured by the fun. One didn't argue when a woman egged him into a quick dance and another playfully waved his flashlight in the air for a moment, its beam bouncing on the gyrating mob like a dance floor spotlight.
``I'm just a dancing fool,'' said Tom Fabbricante, 32, of Long Island who kicked his heels up, ignoring the muggy night air even though he was in a full suit.
Fabbricante, who is on the board of directors for Americas' Sail, said the impromptu performance by the ship's band ``was wonderful.''
It was well past midnight before the musicians finally snaked their way from Nauticus back to their ship - with a hardy band of dancers following behind. But Fabbricante, was not among them. ``It's been a really full night,'' he said, but he was calling it quits. ``I know I'm pooped.'' MEMO: The Americas' Sail '95 fleet sets sail this morning. Ceremonies for
their departure begin at 8 a.m. with a blessing of the fleet. A Parade
of Sail will then escort the vessels from the Norfolk waterfront to a
point six miles east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel where, at 2
p.m., the smaller Class B ships will begin the race to a finish line off
Long Island. At 2:30 p.m., the larger Class A ships will start. The best
places to see the fleet will be Town Point Park and the Norfolk and
Portsmouth waterfronts and the second island of the bridge-tunnel
complex. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by TAMARA VONINSKI, Staff
Quiroz Morales Marco, a member of the crew aboard the Simon Bolivar
from Venezuela, adjusts a mast at the front of the ship Sunday. The
tall ship was one of eight docked at Waterside.
R.B. Henry of Norfolk talks to a sailor from Belgium aboard the
ketch Zenobe Gramme.
by CNB