"Privateer Lynx"

"Privateer Lynx"  By Doug Mills

Tall ship Lynx on her first trip back to her birthplace, Rockport Maine, in 2010.

The MaineSail Journal: "The Mists Of Time"

"The Mists Of Time" By Doug Mills

The Lewis R. French emerges from the mists of time, she will be 142 years old this year and still sailing the cool blue Atlantic!

The MaineSail Journal: "Underway in Penobscot Bay"

"Underway in Penobscot Bay"  By Doug Mills

Heritage, Isaac H. Evans and Lewis R. French underway in Penobscot Bay at the start of The Great Schooner Race in 2012.

The MaineSail Journal: "Sailing On Warm Breezes."

"Sailing On Warm Breezes"  By Doug Mills

Harvey Gamage sailing on warm breezes near Owls Head Maine.

The MaineSail Journal: "Warm Summer Day"

"Warm Summer Day"  By Doug Mills

The 141 year old Lewis R. French sets sail from Rockland Harbor on a warm summer day.

The MainSail Journal: "The Ultimate Tall Ship Adventure"

"The Ultimate Tall Ship Adventure"  By Doug Mills

The schooner Heritage from The Ultimate Tall Ship Adventure series.

The MaineSail Journal: "Getting Underway"

"Getting Underway"  By Doug Mills

Grace Bailey and Mary Day getting underway for The Great Schooner Race.

The MaineSail Journal: "Passing The Lighthouse"

"Passing The Lighthouse"  By Doug Mills

Lewis R. French passing the lighthouse at Rockland before the start of The Great Schooner Race.

The MaineSail Journal: "Getting Underway"

"Getting Underway" By Doug Mills

Heritage getting underway before The Great Schooner Race.

The MaineSail Journal: "Ghost From Summers Past"

"Ghost From Summers Past"  By Doug Mills

Stephen Taber sails out of the fog like a ghost from summers long past.

The MaineSail Journal: "Grace Bailey Leaving Camden"

"Grace Bailey Leaving Camden"  By Doug Mills

Grace Bailey leaving Camden harbor past the Curtis Island Light.

The MaineSail Journal: "A Great Day For A Race"

"A Great Day For A Race" By Doug Mills

Mistress, Timberwind and Heron before The Great Schooner Race in Rockland harbor.

The Best of 2012: Tall Ship HMS Bounty Haul Out

The MaineSail Journal

Tall Ship HMS Bounty Haul Out

By Doug Mills    

    It's not often that great moments happen on such a beautiful day and even more rare when you have a front row seat. Today the tall ship HMS Bounty, star of many movies, was brought ashore in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

    Tucked away on a quaint winding street lined with small shops is the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard. Today it is the host to one of the worlds most famous and beloved tall ships, the HMS Bounty. For fifty two years the Bounty has thrilled young and old, staring in “Mutiny on the Bounty”, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest' and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End” as well as in person around the world. This is Bounty's third visit to the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard in her lifetime.

    The haul out is scheduled for 11:00Am. We arrive at the shipyard a little after 10:00Am to find the Bounty Tied up at the dock ready for her big day. Just after 11 the cradle starts to move out toward the Bounty. It is no small task to haul a 180' 400 ton ship out of the water. Two hours of pushing, pulling, checking alignment and pushing and pulling some more, before the Bounty is ready for her journey to dry land.

It is after 1:00pm before the railway starts to move slowly toward the land. If you have not seen a ship of this size hauled out there is no was to describe the feeling as she comes out of the water. I have seen many a historic boat hauled out, but the Bounty is by far the largest. There was a cheer and applause as the railway came to a stop and Bounty was safely on dry land.

The Best of 2012: The MaineSail Journal: Tall Ship Amistad

The MaineSail Journal

Amastad

By Doug Mills

    Fall brings many surprises to the coast of Maine. A very pleasant surprise was to find Captain Sean Bercaw of Freedom Schooner Amistad, awaiting customs clearance after returning from Nova Scotia. Amistad is a ship with a mission. A reminder of a dark time in history when people were stolen from their homes and carried off to a far away land where no one spoke their language and they were forced into a life of slavery. Her namesake La Amistad was transporting 53 slaves to Cuba to be used as labor in the sugar cane fields when she was forced to change course and this eventually helped to change the course of this nation. During to voyage to Cuba one of the slaves was able to free himself and also the others who were on board. Armed with sugar cane knives the managed to take the ship. They ordered the crew to sail west, which they did during the day but at night they would sail north east in hope of running across another vessel to free them from the slaves who held the ship. Off Long Island New York the U S Navy ship USS Washington found them and took the slaves into custody and took possession of La Amistad.

The court case that followed was instrumental in bringing the blight of slavery into the public eye in the United States. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court who freed the those who had been involved in the taking of La Amistad. They eventually were able to return to their home but things had changed forever in the United States due to the actions of these former slaves.

    “The impetus for building the Amistad came from Warren Q. Marr II, former editor of the NAACP’s The Crisis magazine. Marr’s inspiration for the replica emerged during New York’s operation sail 1976, a spectacular parade of the world’s tall ships. Participating in that event was a representation of the historic 19th century schooner, La Amistad. It was actually the schooner Western Union with its name temporarily hidden under signs proclaiming her La Amistad. Marr wanted the story of the African captives’ fight for freedom on the seas, in a New Haven court, and in a landmark United States Supreme Court case to be told. Marr’s goal was to design the re-created vessel as a floating exhibit, assemble a crew, and sail her from port to port teaching the history of the Amistad Incident of 1839. Marr believed the Amistad story could foster unity among people of diverse backgrounds and help improve race relations.”

    “The reproduction was built in Mystic Seaport’s Henry B. DuPont Preservation Shipyard. It was built using traditional construction techniques. Some of the tools used to construct the Freedom Schooner Amistad were those that may have been used in 19th century construction. Others were electric tools. The reconstruction, while based on the appearance of La Amistad was about 10 feet longer than the original to accommodate an engine room. It also had bronze bolts in use as fastenings throughout the ship and an external ballast made of lead. None of these features would have been available on the original Amistad.”

The dimensions of the Amistad are as follows:

1. Length from bowsprit to stern: 129 ft (39.4 m)
2. Length Over Rail: 85 ft (26 m)
3. Length On Deck: 81 ft (24.7 m)
4. Maximum Beam (Width): 23 ft (7.01 m)
5. Length at Waterline: 78 ft (23.8 m)
6. Draft (depth): 10.5 ft (3.3 m)
7. Height of masts: 100 ft (30.5 m) 

[AAI Staff. "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)." AMISTAD America. AMISTAD America Inc, 14 Jan. 2008. Web. 7 May 2009..]