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Read the Crew's Views from John, KC, and Caroline as they reflect on their experiences in Asia.

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Racine and Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Our sail to Racine, Wisconsin, was not a long one - just an overnighter to cover the 60 odd nautical miles. Our guest crew for this leg were Patrick from Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Lake Schooner Project, Larry from Chicago who is captain of the ex-presidential yacht El Presidente, Frank whose brother is the City Engineer of Racine, and Kevin and Tammy who sail their own sloop. The wind was mostly against us but it was not strong so we sailed to windward in breezes from light to moderate. Come dawn we struck sail and motored the last few miles and entered Racine at 8:30 a.m. Racine is a very small harbor that is slowly changing from commercial/industrial to recreational. Now there are yachts and parks where there were once barges, factories, and warehouses. Pride II is a little larger than the common vessel visiting Racine. But arrangements made earlier by our advance man for Lake Michigan, Jerome Bird, lived up to plan and Pride II tied up inside the Main Street drawbridge in space just big enough for her. This stop was specially arranged for the Maryland Port Administration to entertain clients based there that send freight through the Port of Baltimore.

The run to Milwaukee from Racine was only 20 miles. Since we were scheduled to arrive off the docks of the Wisconsin Lake Schooner Project by noon, we had an early breakfast and got underway at 7:30 a.m. By 10:30 we were only 6 miles from Milwaukee with all sail set sailing in a pleasant northeast breeze. We were met by the fancy classic racing yacht Bachant. She is a European all varnished racer from the mid 1930's. Her owner, Jere Sullivan, lives in Maryland during the spring and fall but makes his home in Milwaukee. He has been aboard Pride II and has hosted the crew at his home in Oxford on a couple of occasions. Bachant is one of the slipperiest sloops I have ever laid my eyes on. She sailed rings around us as Pride II made her way inside the Milwaukee breakwater.

The Wisconsin Lake Schooner Project is a grassroots, non-profit effort to build a reproduction of a three-masted Great Lakes cargo schooner. Her mission is essentially educational. The hull is largely complete and they are proceeding with interior and deck construction. The Wisconsin Lake Schooner Education Association (WLSEA) were our hosts in Milwaukee, as they have been in the past. This visit had an extra level of excitement as the WLSEA was getting ready to officially name its schooner. Pride II was there to help with those celebrations. So it was important to show Pride II off to advantage as we came into Milwaukee. Hence we tacked around several times and shot numerous cannons to excite our hosts and the crowd of volunteers who had gathered for the event.

The variety of hosts that Pride II has had over the years run the gamut from "no help at all and you gotta pay for every foot of dock space" to "host with the most." WLSEA ranks up there in the "host with the most" category. They offered and delivered transportation for the off watch, took the cook shopping, gave us access to e-mail, and included all of the crew in the Naming Celebration. This event was a giant party at which their schooner was named. It now the Denis Sullivan - so named after a well known Lake Schooner Master of the early 20^th century. They also asked us many questions about various details aboard Pride II. They were particularly interested in equipment aboard such as refrigeration and electrical charging, systems that they will need to address in the very near future for their own schooner.

They also brought a committee aboard looking into the design of yet another sailing vessel dedicated to the disabled. This is a complex concept. Special challenges that must be addressed include how wheelchair bound individuals will pull on ropes, negotiate getting down below, and respond to an emergency, such as abandon ship. Pride II is not a good example of what to copy or avoid when considering a design to accommodate the disabled. Her purpose is to represent a period in history. But the committee gained some new and refreshed understanding of the challenges facing them. I think it is an interesting challenge and not an unreasonable goal. It makes perfect sense to me that in today's world there is a market for catering to the adventurous spirit in the disabled population. It is an untried concept in North America on large sailing vessels, but not so in Europe. England has a large square rigger called the Lord Nelson designed and built by a special interest organization that owns her for the expressed purpose of taking the disabled aboard as sailing trainees. I look forward to learning what the Wisconsin Lake Schooner Education Association decides will work to accommodate the disabled population interested in having hands-on adventures aboard larger sailing vessels.

Pride II's scheduled activities in Milwaukee during her three day stay were a sail with Tate Access, two sails with WLSEA guests, an evening reception celebrating the naming of the Denis Sullivan, a dockside reception with the Maryland Port Administration, and an open house. The crew each got a day and a half off and was able to get some maintenance done as well.

August 10, 1999, 1500 hours, Lake Michigan

We are underway now, bound for Cleveland. We are in the middle of Lake Michigan making way nicely under full sail with a northwest breeze as we sail north northeasterly. The ship is covered with lake flies. They often bite, even through clothing. Some have escaped below to bother the off watch. Occasionally we dispatch a member of the crew to slaughter flies below with a swatter. But the temperature is benign and the humidity is moderate. We are embarked on a five-day transit. All of us aboard look forward to the respite from in-port obligations. With us we have a father and son team, Ben and Mike. We also have our new cook, Erin Cloherty. Theresa has not yet left. So the two are working together taking advantage of the time to plan a smooth transition.

I will be relieved by my partner, Captain Parrott, in Cleveland, our current destination and next port of call. I am looking forward to a bit of real shore leave after this hectic but satisfying tour of the Great Lakes.

Cheers,
Captain Miles
Return to Part 1: Great Lakes, Wyandotte, and Lake Huron
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