'We run them hard' Tall Ship serves as unique summer camp

By Melanie Graham
Staff writer

July 17, 2008 11:02 pm

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As the sun made its way up the crisp blue sky Wednesday morning, flocks of sailboats rested comfortably in Newburyport harbor, rocking up and down, almost sleepily, with the slight wake of the few fishing boats making their way out to sea.

But as the ships dozed in their moorings, on the horizon sat a vessel with masts that stood tall and alert, awake and ready to take on the Merrimack River.

With a few short words from the captain and a affirmation from the Salisbury dock, the delicate ballet on board the Spirit of South Carolina began.

"It's well rehearsed," said Ben Hall, the chief mate on board the Spirit.

The 140-foot pilot schooner carefully eased its way into Salisbury on Wednesday, docking for the weekend as part of the Tall Ships display for the first annual Merrimack River Maritime Festival. The Spirit is one of three Tall Ships included in the festival, docking alongside the 170-foot Mystic and the 137-foot Roseway.

The ship, which is making its first trip to the Northeast, is a Sailing School Vessel modelled after a late 19th century Charleston, S.C., ship called the Frances Elizabeth. The Spirit acts as a nonprofit education center for students, teaching them firsthand the tactics of sailing and navigating as part of the South Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation.

"Our mission is education," Hall said.

Returning from Portland, Maine, the Spirit had just spent the last two weeks sailing around the Northeast with a group of high school students. With the help of an onboard educator, the crew instructs students in a regimented schedule, including classes, written assignments and, of course, hands-on training.

"It's not exactly summer camp," Hall said. "We run them hard."

Captain Tony Arrow explained that students do everything from steering to cleaning to navigating the old-fashioned way. Facilities for microscopes are also included for students to study water samples.

A day on board the ship consists of three watch teams, where groups of crew members and students take turns with the various duties. Much of the time, Arrow said, the Spirit remains underway 24 hours a day.

And with two separate sleeping areas, a galley and the captain and chief mate's quarters, Arrow said that the ship can sleep 30 people, allowing anywhere from 18 to 21 students on board.

But on this particular day, the crew was not educating students, rather, they were educating themselves on a way to move the schooner through the strong current of the Merrimack.

With the 90-foot deck acting as a stage, each of the eight crew members performed their part of the choreography, moving to sounds of shifting sea below. Ropes were tied and untied, knots were formed, and with only a few words between them, the lowering of the rescue boat was completed with ease.

However, a rescue was not in order. Instead, the small boat would be used as both a tugboat and a transport for a crew member to assist with the docking of the Spirit.

"We like [the person on the dock] to be one of our own," Hall said. "We speak the same language."

It is with that language, one that seems foreign to anyone outside of the maritime world, that the rescue boat would help ease the ship into the dock as the remainder of the crew tied it down.

But while the rescue boat ventured to the dock, the Tall Ship moved along with the current, as Mother Nature offered no wind that day, and the sails, rolled and rested, remained tied.

With this short break the crew kept watch on the shore as they refilled coffee cups. They had been sailing since 2 a.m., yet any fatigue was kept at bay as they had a routine to carry out in which every member, from captain to deckhand, must remain alert.

"We have to pay attention to what the current is doing," Arrow said.

The captain explained that in addition to fastening the lines to the deck, the engines must remain on to keep the boat stable. Otherwise, Arrow said, the current would take the boat away from the dock and down the river.

As the elegant ship graced the side of the Salisbury dock, the crew carried out yet another set of choreography, shouting commands and moving quickly from rope to rope. Even the ship's cook, Ray Krueger, put aside the morning's breakfast for a moment and emerged from the galley to lend a hand with the Spirit's docking.

Countless onlookers from the beach stood in awe, shading their eyes to catch a glimpse of the Tall Ship. The glistening planks of the young vessel — only one year under sail — was ready to impress and inspire yet another Northeast town.

Starting Saturday, locals can get an up-close look at the Spirit, with tours of the three Tall Ships from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets for tours will cost $5.

"We'll put some fancy flags on the boat," Arrow said.

As the Spirit rested comfortably at the Salisbury dock, a bell signaled that it was time for breakfast. The crew would enjoy Krueger's meal before cleaning up the ship and catching up on the sleep they had lost to the tireless sea over the last eight hours. Their next stop, after the Salisbury festival, will be Newport, R.I.

"The whole crew loves sailing here," Arrow said. "This area is one of the greatest places to sail in the world."

For more information about the Spirit of South Carolina, visit www.scmaritime.org

If you go:

r What: Salisbury's first annual Merrimack River Maritime Festival Tall Ships display and tours

r Where: Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Beach Rd., Salisbury

r When: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

r How: Tickets are $5, children 6 and under are free. Ticket tent is next to the pathway leading to the docks.

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