The Pride of Baltimore II's Log
MAY 1996
A MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN BOB GLOVER
ABOARD PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 1996
TIME: 1300 LMT
POSITION: Latitude 50 13,7 N Longitude 002 50,1 W or
20 NM SW of Bill of Portland Point
SP: 7.0 knots. C: 085. WX: Sly 12-15 knots.. SS: Slight chop, low
wly swell. T: 60. BP: 1014 falling slow. SKY: Mostly sunny, high
clouds. 24HRP: Just south of Dungeness Point, Dover Strait.
24WX: SW'erly winds 18- 25 knots.
We thankfully got around Land's End at about 2000 last evening and set
the four lower sails and the topsail. We had a nice sail despite the
occasional rain and fog. All of us were happy to be sailing instead of
motoring into a head sea like we did for the last 30 hours. We motored
from 0300 until 1230 today as the wind was only 3-8 knot, but now the
S'rly wind has filled in at 15 knots and we are sailing under mostly
sunny skies along England's south coast. We still experience many ships
passing by, over 120 ships a day transit the Straits of Dover alone!
So, needless to say, I don't get more than 1 hour of continuous sleep as
I am constantly responding to the mates calling of traffic which will
potentially come close to Pride II. We had a great breakfast this
morning of omelets to order and fresh scones. All of us are in a joyous
mood to be sailing under some sun. We should hold this wind pattern for
at least the next 36 hours.
In a few days we will be transiting the Keil Canal. This allows us to
go from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea without going all the way around
the north end of Denmark. It is a 50 or so mile canal cutting through
some beautiful scenery of Germany. We can't wait to pass through.
A MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN BOB GLOVER
ABOARD PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II
DATE: Wednesday, May 22, 1996
TIME: 0900 LMT
POSITION: At Anchor in Porlock Bay
We are at anchor in Porlock Bay with both anchors down and it's blowing
a gale. However, maintenance goes on in the rig with domestic deep
cleaning below and engine room painting. This afternoon we will do some
formal crew training lectures on engine room systems and a review of
safety procedures. Late afternoon we may go ashore. Last night the
crew went ashore before dark. The small village here is a picture
postcard of England. Each home with a hand- carved wooden door,
thatched roofs, and a little spring flower garden in each yard. Along
the windy small roads are 8 foot high green hedges. Sheep and cattle
graze on the deep green pasture land marked off by fieldstone fences.
The folks have a lot of pride in their homes and land no matter what
their social level within society might be. The locals were interested
in the American Baltimore Clipper anchored in their bay; wondering but
cordial. Tomorrow morning we get up early at 0300 to get underway for
the arrival to Bristol. We must transit a 9 mile long river that is no
wider than 900 feet and at low tide has only 5 feet of water. The tidal
range is 27 FEET. We only have 2 hours of time near high water to make
the transit to Bristol and get into the harbor that is protected by big
gates called locks to hold the water in to a constant water depth of 20
feet. On top of all this we need to make it under a bridge that has
only 98 feet of clearance at high water, and as Pride II's mast height
is 107 feet, timing is everything on this little trip up the river! We
have made it easier by taking a pilot, a person who has local knowledge
of the area.
A MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN BOB GLOVER
ABOARD PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II
DATE: Monday, May 20, 1996
TIME: 19:20 LMT
POSITION: 1.5 Miles North of Hartland Point, Southern entrance to
the Bristol Channel (English side versus the Wales side of the Channel)
Latitude 51 13,6 N Longitude 004 13,8 W
Pride II departed Penzance Bay at 0300 this morning to catch the fair
tide and wind along the west coast of England. It was a sunny day --
the first sunny day I have awakened to since I have been in England!
After motorsailing around Land's End we hoisted sail, shut down the
engines and have been sailing along at 11 knots ever since. We will
anchor in a small cove called Combe Martin Bay by 2100, protected from
the SW and W winds. We are now at the mouth of Bristol Bay. The event
of the day for the crew was listening to WBAL morning news from the
ship's VHF radio while I was on hold to give a live interview. They all
gathered around the afterdeck to listen to the news and very hot weather
forecast for Baltimore. Please send the warm weather this way -- we can
sure use it!
A MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN BOB GLOVER
ABOARD PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II
DATE: Friday, May 17, 1996
TIME: 12:30 LMT
LOCATION: Latitude 51 12,69 N Longitude 001 42,40 E or
straits of Dover
At noon today we are just entering the north end of the Straits of Dover
as we head west along the southern coast of England. We departed London
at 1400 yesterday. We held up at Gravesend in the Thames River for 12
hours to allow the strong Northeast winds to subside and then departed
the Thames estuary at 0500 this morning. I'm glad we stopped as it
would not have been wise to transit this area full of shoals with foul
wind and tide. When you notice lots of "wreck" symbols on the chart you
are using it tells you something about the area and how dangerous it is.
The crew are happy to be at sea again as I suspect the ship is. The
wind is aft of the beam and we are making 9 knots. Although it is quite
cold, everyone is happy to be on the move again. With the northeast
wind flow we should make good time along the coast. Right now the
concentration is on all the ship traffic that one must constantly
evaluate in order to constantly assess any risk of collision. A variety
of yachts, container ships, coastal tankers--you name it and it's out
here today.
A MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN JAN MILES
ABOARD PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II
DATE: May 7, 1996
TIME: 18:25 GMT
LOCATION: At anchor at St. Katharines Haven, London, England
We arrived here in London on Monday according to schedule. Coming up
the Thames River was tricky, especially given the large number of
pleasure boats and tourist vessels that had come out on the river to
greet us. We managed to fire off three cannons as we sailed past the
Tower Bridge, much to the enjoyment of the hundreds of well-wishers
lining the shores of the Thames.
Most of the rest of the day was spent handling a myriad of details;
customs, schedules, and getting the boat ready for all of the events
planned for the next few days. The crew is glad to finally have reached
London, and I am as well. The coming days will be busy ones, however.
This morning the crew unloaded the Calvert Memorial, which had been
packaged in a crate and draped with a Maryland flag, and placed it on a
dray which was attached to the Whitbread Shires. They are quite big,
strong horses, similar to our Budweiser Clydesdales! All of the crew
then climbed aboard the dray to accompany the Memorial to
St.-Giles-in-the-Fields church. The whole procession, led by a group of
Marylanders who are members of the St. Maries Citty Militia. They made
their first stop at the Tower of London where Captain Thomas Callaway
(of the Militia) presented the Governor of the Tower with two Indian
arrows. Apparently, this was an old traditional tribute between the
British Crown and her colonies.
Although I remained on the boat, the crew informed me upon their return
that it had been a three-mile journey, and a rather hectic one at that.
Happily, after inspecting the memorial, the Church Architect declared
it a "fine and worthy addition to this historic church" so all is well
for the dedication and unveiling ceremony on Friday.
A MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN JAN MILES
ABOARD PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II
DATE: May 4, 1996
TIME: 15:24 GMT
LOCATION: At anchor off Cowes, Isle of Wight, England
Finally! We are here at Cowes. The weather is almost calm. The sky
was clear this morning, but is clouding up now in a scattered sort of
way. The Solent is full of recreating mariners in vessels of all types.
Some show curiosity as they go by. Others stop to spend a little time
studying us and Pride II, even asking questions and passing compliments.
Most go about their three day holiday (banks are closed Monday) with a
purpose that is not to be diverted by some kind of Yankee clipper.
We set sail just off West Cowes around 1000 hours after an uneventful
transit (motoring against a moderate headwind) from our anchorage in
Chapman's Pool, under St. Alban's Head. We sailed back and forth across
the two Cowes', East and West, in a dying northerly breeze. A Brixham
Trawler type sail vessel, the gaff ketch rigged Tangarora joined us for
our sail as well as a photographer driving a motor boat with the name
Beken on the side (a famous marine photography family). After shooting
two cannons, we went to anchor at our assigned spot. A location some
distance out from the harbor in an area reserved for visiting vessels of
a certain length. I am so pleased there is no significant weather! We
are sitting in nearly 70 feet of water with a current of some 2.5 to 3
knots sliding by. I sincerely doubt we could have stayed here during a
moderate blow without using two anchors, which could easily have become
a nightmare with the reversing current threatening to tangle the hooks up.
(I am just now reminded of why I hate anchoring this boat in strong
reversing current locations as I write this. The wind has come up
opposite the current and Pride II is sailing up on her anchor. When the
chain snubs her back it comes up against the hull. With the wind still
pushing her, she is forced to turn and get sideways to the current which
causes her to drift back down current and get snubbed again, only this
time with the chain rubbing up on the stem or the bob- stays, depending
on which way she turned. We can control this a little by turning the
helm. All this in relatively flat water--except for the motor boat
wakes which are left by those motor boaters that don't mind passing by
at less than 200 feet away at speeds of 12+ knots, leaving behind them a
2-4 foot swell, because they are not restricted to a 6 knot speed due to
our anchorage being outside that area and they do not have the courtesy
to pass us by at a large distance or slow down as they pass close by.)
As it is, we will only stay till 0300, when the second fair current will
become available to us to ride eastward on. After re-assessing the
weather I've decided we can stay for the afternoon-evening in order that
the crew can get ashore and look at what might be called the birthplace
of yachting, the town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
Our last evening at Chapman's Pool was a delightful one of calm, sunny
and warm conditions. The crew had been able to get a myriad of things
done in the fair weather afternoon. With the sunset lighting coloring
our anchorage and the feeling of accomplishment the afternoon provided
there was a collective feeling among us all that we were again getting
control of our lives and that of the vessel. It is funny to think of
this as control. At no time were we out of control. Not in the sense
of being sailors. We always have to bend to what the weather and sea
provides. But when it is possible to get alot of work done that is
planned for the doing, we mere mortal sailors think we have control over
our lives, when in reality weather has given us a break and we have been
smart enough to take advantage of the break. This decision to stay in
Cowes until 0300 rather than get going again on the next fair current
due about 1600 is another example of taking advantage of opportunity.
In this case the opportunity that weather is going to stay light for
some time yet; enough time to let the crew enjoy a short visit in an
area they may never see again and yet still have enough time to get
along towards our destination in ample time to be there when we are
supposed to. And the crew have sure jumped at the chance. All but the
watch, cook and myself are ashore!
This should be added to the What's New section of the Home Page. You
should also keep the Cyber Clipper stuff following this in the What's
New, but nothing else after that. THanks!!! - Laura
On Monday May 6, Pride of Baltimore II arrived in London under full sail
with cannons blasting, carrying a stone and marble Memorial to Cecilius
Calvert, the founder of Maryland, who has lain in an unmarked grave for
over 250 years.
On Tuesday, May 7, the memorial will be unloaded and taken by
horse-drawn carriage to St. Giles-in-the-Fields Church. Then, on Friday
May 10 there will be an unveiling and dedication ceremony at the church.
The ceremony will be attended by Governor Parris Glendening and Admiral
William J. Crowe, the U.S. Ambassador to Britain.
Be sure to watch NBC's TODAY show (WBAL Channel 11 in Baltimore) on
Friday morning at 7:00 am for live coverage of this historic event. In
addition, Maryland Public Television will air a special 1/2 hour program
about the Calvert Project, including footage from Pride II's London
trip. This program will be aired May 30 at 7:30 PM and again on June 6
at 8:00 PM.
Tuesday, May 14 marks the Tenth Anniversary of the sinking of the
original Pride of Baltimore. A memorial service will be held on Rash
Field at the Inner Harbor at 12:00 noon. The public is invited to
attend. In commemoration of this event, Maryland Public Television will
air the video "Pride, Legacy of the Baltimore Clipper" on May 14 and May
18 at 9:00 PM, and again on May 19 at 7:00 PM.
Also on May 14, Mr. Bruce Quackenbush, Executive Director of Pride of
Baltimore, Inc., will be a guest on WJZ Channel 13's "Coffee With"
program at 6:30 am. Mr. Quackenbush will be discussing highlights of
Pride II's London visit as well as the Tenth Anniversary memorial
service taking place later in the day.
For more information about Pride of Baltimore II, please contact the
office at 539-1151.
A MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN JAN MILES
ABOARD PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II
DATE: Friday, May 3, 1996
TIME: 12:41 GMT
LOCATION: Latitude 50 35,37 N Longitude 002 04,14 Wor at anchor in Chapman's
Pool, under St. Alban's Head, south coast of England, just east of Bill of
Portland
Hi there everyone! It has been an interesting morning, for us, anyway.
To appreciate this, a little history.
We arrived in a lovely anchorage called Worbarrow Bay at 0130 on
Thursday morning after a bit of a lumpy-bumpy afternoon and evening
motoring from Falmouth. Worbarrow Bay is surrounded by some of
England's famous cliffs, only these are not so white as the Dover
Cliffs. In the clouded over sky, but moonlit night, they presented a
very eerie presence. But the sea died down as we got in under their
protection, which is always a comforting experience. Later in the
morning, just after breakfast, and just as we began a maintenance day, a
blue motor launch was spotted moving fast directly towards us. Uh oh!
What could this be? Looks kind of formal. I suspected that it was the
gunnery range picket boat. Along England's south coast there are
numerous military training grounds. The gunnery ranges are constantly
in use. There is a system of announcing their use over the marine
radio. I had tried to decipher their schedule and had chosen this
anchorage for the fact I understood it not to be active. I was proven
wrong and we had to leave. With a little discussion with the picket
boat operator it was determined we could come here to Chapman's Pool,
under St. Alban's Head, only an hours motor away. This is a spectacular
anchorage, too. Much more green, but just as bluff. Perfect for the
NE'rly's we were experiencing, although not a place for S-SW or W. The
weather continued to deteriorate and alot of rain passed by. I spent
the day wondering if we would be able to get out of here in time to
arrive Cowes as scheduled for noon on Friday. Finally, late evening on
Thursday a new weather report helped me determine that we would be
better off postponing arrival in Cowes until Saturday at about the same
time. This presented a problem of communications between Pride's office
some 5 hours difference from here in England. By the time I got the
latest weather report and made a final decision, all the offices in
England would be closed. By the time Pride's office in the USA opened
it would already be Friday afternoon in England. Also, this decision
affected our French passengers as they needed to be in Paris by Saturday
evening because of their magazine deadline. How to get them ashore when
we are anchored over 4 miles from the nearest town, a walk over very
vertical land formations?
This brings us to this morning. I sent a message to my partner, Captain
Bob Glover, at home, to confirm the decision that we would not be
arriving in Cowes today. Just as I send this, another picket boat comes
by. Uh oh! But no problem. They just wanted to take pictures and
determine we would not need to pass through their gunnery range. We
asked about getting our two Frenchmen ashore and to the nearest public
transportation center. Their answer was not really very satisfactory to
the Frenchmen, so they planned to be let ashore and make do with a long
walk. I, meanwhile, start a phone call to the ship's agent we have in
England in hopes I may be able to discover a way out for these two. In
the middle of that call, a RNLI lifeboat on training maneuvers out of
Poole comes by for a look/see just before heading back. Pride II's crew
chat it up a bit with the lifeboat crew. One thing leads to another and
the Frenchmen are now off to the town of Poole in a fast lifeboat!
Their transport problem solved...I hope. Finally, I continue my
business with the ship's agent, asking if he was already aware of the
change in plan due to weather. He thanks me for the info, but no, they
had not heard, and in turn, advises me of details in Cowes. One of
which is the Cowes Harbormaster had told him we would only be able to
anchor when we came, and that with a strong NE breeze, it would probably
not be a good place to stay. Well now! Can anyone understand my
reluctance to arrive Cowes in the middle of a strong NE'rly? This
anchorage we are in now is perfect for our current situation. Giving it
up for a questionable one seemed imprudent. But the weather is
beginning to break even now. It is now sunny and the wind, while still
blowing a bit, is expected to moderate through the afternoon and
evening. So, we will execute the plan of today, tomorrow. Then, early
on Sunday we will get on our way to London.
A MESSAGE FROM CAPTAIN JAN MILES
ABOARD PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II
DATE: Wednesday, May 1, 1996
TIME: 20:52 GMT
LOCATION: Latitude 50 27,65 N Longitude 002 35,12 W
SP: 7+ Knots. C: 090 M. WX: E Force 4. SS: E 4-6 Ft. T: 50F.
WT: 49F. BP: 996.1 R. SKY: Overcast.
We have been motoring all day. I expect we will till around midnight.
I had hoped we would be able to stay a day in Falmouth, England after
arriving there around supper last night, but the weather report this
morning caused me to get underway--pronto--and make tracks Eastward.
Not a heavy weather report, but winds out of the SE and E at force 3-4
with possible force 5. Not a good report when we are supposed to be
some 160 miles further east by Friday. So we got underway and spent the
day doing maintenance while we pushed along at 7+ knots into calm winds
first, then as predicted, winds of force 3-4 and a little 5. At least
the crew got a good nights rest last night.
Why not sail? A lot of reasons. Generally wear and tear on the ship
and her crew. The mission of this vessel is to the general public and
not to some small group of enthusiasts that are part of a race or have
an infinite amount of time to complete the voyage. Racers would have no
choice but to sail, no matter how long it took and a cruising voyage
would take the time to wait for favorable weather. We need to be where
we said we would be when we said and in good condition. By motoring
now, I think we have reduced the wear on the ship and the crew yet also
helped to ensure that we would be in Cowes on time.
Falmouth is a pretty harbor town, a lot larger than Baltimore, Ireland,
yet the general appearance of buildings is not too different. The best
part of this town though is the local traditional sailing enthusiasts.
They race a class of "working" cutter that is very handsome. We saw one
sailing about as we entered. Very large rig, with spike bowsprit and
tall mast with large gaff sail and topsail above. These vessels are
shaped deeply for fishing in the English Channel where it can get pretty
rough, yet they are very fast for their size.
We made contact with a race committee "in action" with their>
Transfer interrupted!
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