Keeping up appearances

It's always important to keep things fresh and relevant. It's why we buy new clothes, why restaurants change their menus, and why there are 5 million shades of fingernail polish! It's no different in the schooner world. We of course have our staples, things that will won't change, like our Sunset Sails. Last year, we mixed things up by adding a Full Moon Sail. By the turnout for our Full Moon Sails, you guys approve, which we love. This year we are adding some special educational sails and our brand new Summer Camp (see our previous blog post). We are toying with the idea of some 3 hour Day Sails, but what else would our passengers like to see? We want to her from you! What kind of trips would you like to book? Also, what do you love the way it is, things not to change? And of course, we will begin working on the Schooner Pursuit in 2014! We will keep everyone up to date on her progress through a Facebook and her own individual blog. How does that sound :)

We're Excited...

It's that time of year, time to say goodbye to 2013 and hello to a brand new year. It's always such an exciting time, looking forward to the infinite possibilities. We have our standard New Year's resolutions that we all make: go to the gym more, eat better, save money, spend more time with friends and family.

But we think this should be the year of the really new. I don't know who Pablo is, but he captures the sentiment of our new year perfectly...
“This is the new year, the new you. You can pass through another year, coasting on cruise control. Or you can step out of your comfort zone, trying things you have never done before, & make this year as the year that you elevate from where you are & soar high. Make it happen!”
Pablo

Let's make our resolutions more revolutionary! Stepping outside of our box is always but a bit scary, but it's that little bit of fear that makes it worthwhile. 

In this vein, we've decided to step outside of our box for 2014 and embrace something we've always wanted to do. Over the years, we have employed many young people. It's always been such a joy to see theirs transformations on board. There is something about sailing that gives a young person (especially girls) confidence - knowing that you can pilot a vessel, venturing onto a bow sprit, climbing into the rigging, and speaking with knowledge to an old salt about boats and sailing. We love passing along this knowledge and giving young people the confidence that goes with it.

So....this year we will be offering our first ever summer camp! This is an opportunity for a group of young sailors, ages 12-15, to experience life on board a tall ship. For a week, they will live on board, work the boat, cook meals, stand watch, and live the life of a tall ship sailor, while sailing the coast of northeast Florida and southeast Georgia. They will be responsible for all crew duties and will learn each day the skills necessary to sail a tall ship including
Navigation
Helmsmanship
Onboard Meal Preparation
Marilinspike Seamanship
Crew Co-ordination
General Deck Knowledge
Rules of the Road
Leadership
Teamwork
All work and no play make Jack and Jill a dull boy and girl, so we will engage in fun recreational activities such as small boat sailing, fishing, swimming, shelling, and exploring. Parents will be kept updates on their sailors progress and location by frequent blog posts and a closed Facebook group, updates at least twice daily.
We're so excited to be offering this opportunity to boys and girls. Sailing is a physical, emotional, and spiritual experience and it makes it even more special to be able to share it with other people. 

Poetry for Your Monday

"I must go down to the seas again" begins probably the most well know poem heralding tall ships, written in 1902 by John Masefield, an Englishman and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 until his death in 1967. Masefield was sent to sea as a young boy by his aunt, to train him for a life on the sea and to break his much frowned-upon addiction to reading and writing. Once on board the HMS Conway, he found nothing but time and encouragement to read and write, being deeply inspired by the myriad of sailors lore, passed down to him from the old salts. His next commission was on the sailing ship Gilcruix, destined for Chile. This voyage was to have a profound effect
on his writing. He recorded his experiences while sailing through the extreme weather, his journal entries reflecting a delight in seeing flying fish, porpoises, and birds, and was awed by the beauty of nature, including a rare sighting of a nocturnal rainbow on his voyage. After being hospitalized for sunstroke he returned to England, and then on to New York city where he deserted his ship to pursue a career in writing. His first tome of poems, Salt-Water Ballads, and the famous poem, Sea Fever, attest to the immeasurable influence tallship sailing had on him.

Sea Fever

Photo by Sara Leclaire

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking,

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.