THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 29, 1996 TAG: 9603290530
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL CLANCY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
Sometime this morning, as a passing low-pressure system coaxes the winds around to the northwest, a replica of an 1814 Baltimore Clipper will leave the Norfolk waterfront under a cloud of sail and the call of history.
The Pride of Baltimore II, a floating ambassador for Norfolk's northerly neighbor on the Bay, is carrying a slate-and-marble headstone to England to honor Cecilius Calvert, the man who in 1634 organized the voyage of the first English colonists to Maryland.
Pride II stopped Wednesday at the Nauticus pier for provisions and fuel with expectations of leaving immediately, but got stalled by the weather.
Strong northeast winds, and seas up to 10 feet, made sailing uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst. There was no point in rushing, especially when things were expected to calm down today.
So Thursday was spent checking out foul-weather gear and waiting.
``We're going to be glad to finally get going,'' deckhand Samantha Heyman of Boston said as crew members played a restless game of dice in the mahogany-paneled main cabin with rain beating on the hatch. A crew of 12, plus an ESPN film team, is making the trip.
The feelings aboard the sleek, low-slung boat seem to match her name.
``It's a thing of romance and imagination and adventure and fantasy,'' said Capt. Jan Miles, who is making his second crossing on Pride II. ``There's no question that it's fulfilling to be able to live it on behalf of our supporters.''
The gaff-rigged schooner with square topsail will cross the Atlantic in three to four weeks and spend six months touring European cities and taking part in classic boat regattas.
But first it will stop on the Thames at the foot of the Tower of London. A horse-drawn carriage will take the headstone the rest of the way to St. Giles-in-the-Field Church in London, where Calvert rests, unmarked beneath the floorboards.
The 8-year-old Pride II is 100 feet from stem to stern, with a 26-foot beam and a mainmast that reaches 185 feet. With favorable conditions, it sails under 10,000 square feet of sail.
The original Pride of Baltimore ran into a sudden squall off the coast of Puerto Rico in 1986 and sank, with the loss of four crew members, including the captain.
Pride II's progress will be reported back to Baltimore daily and relayed to Maryland schools where some classes will be following the voyage. Reports will be posted on the Internet at:
http://www.4impact.com/pride.
Pride II is a copy of the fast privateers that inspired hatred and envy among British commanders in the War of 1812. They attacked and frustrated the pride of the British Navy in the Chesapeake Bay.
``These things called Baltimore Clippers were the best examples of the purity of sailing and imaginative execution that the world had ever seen,'' Miles said.
``They were sailed with a will and imagination that matched the stunning look of these vessels,'' he added. ``They were a symbol of Yankee ingenuity.'' ILLUSTRATION: Pride makes a pit stop in Norfolk
BILL TIERNAN photos
The Virginian-Pilot
The Pride of Baltimore II, which docked at NauticusThursday, is
carrying a headstone to England to honor Cecilius Calvert, the man
who in 1634 organized the voyage of the first English colonists to
Maryland. It is expected to set sail again today.
Capt. Jan Miles is making his second crossing on Pride II. ``It's a
thing of romance and imagination and adventure and fantasy,'' Miles
said.
by CNB