2nd Annual Olde City Seaport Festival at the Independence Seaport Museum

In the basin, Schooner 'Hindu' and the 'AJ Meerwarld'

'Schooner Hindu'

'Hindu' sails out of Key West and is available for charter.

She dates from 1925, a William Hand design built by Hodgdon Brothers in East Boothbay, ME.

More info at http://sailschoonerhindu.com/

John Schwarzenbach soaking up the 'Hindu' ambience.

A pair of pirate wenches

Paul Grey and Josh Rowan. Josh is the skipper of 'Hindu' and his father Bill the owner.

Paul owns the schooner 'Quintessence' which he charters out of Barnegat Bay.

The AJ Meerwald'

The 'Meerwald is New Jersey's tall ship.

 

Home port is Bivalve, NJ and like most of the boats (ships) at the festival is an educational venture, under the auspices of The Bayshore Center at Bivalve. 

Jesse A Briggs is captain of the restored 1928 oyster dredging schooner.

Schooner 'Virginia'

This 'Virginia' is a replica launched in 2004.

The original 'Virginia', launched in 1916, was commissioned by the Virginia Pilot's Association  and designed "along the lines of an America's Cup defender! Her history is quite compelling.

John Brady at the helm of one of the ISM's whaleboats on the rather choppy waters of the Delaware River, passing by 'Schooner Virgina's port side.

Barkentine 'Gazella'

Looking aft onboard 'Gazela'

Detail, 'Gazella'

Detail, 'Gazella'

Tug 'Jupiter'. 'Jupiter' and 'Gazella' are maintained and deployed by the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild.

'Pride of Baltimore II'

Gig and RIB amidships

'Pride' flying the colors

'Pride II' and many of the other ships present headed down to Baltimore for The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.

Kalmar Nyckel is the most dramatically decorated boat at the festival.

She's a replica of the Dutch Pinnace built in Amsterdam c. 1625 and sailed to the New World in 1638 to establish a Swedish Colony.

The Colony was dubbed New Sweden, at the head of the Delaware Bay, which is now Wilmington Delaware.

New Sweden was the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley. Here is her grand poop deck.

Schooner 'Mystic Whaler' is a charter vessel sailing out of New London CT

The Brady bunch rowing past 'Mystic Whaler'

'Mystic Whaler' was built in 1967 , a reproduction of a late 19thC. coastal cargo schooner.

She even has a brick grill! These folks know how to do it.

One of the smaller boats at the festival was this 14 1/2' Pacific Pelican, built by Allan Hedgers in Greenich, NJ

Owner Floyd Beam reconfigured the mast with this tabernacle system which allows him to continue to sail the boat singlehanded despite some back issues.

The charming H 28 'Gwylan' again returned with owner Roger Pritchard at her helm.

There were a bevy of vendors this year, and I found these guys the most amusing, by a long shot.

 

The aforementioned John Schwarzenbach's sweet little Comet was beautifully restored at the ISM's workshop.

Framed by the bowsprits of both 'Hindu' and 'Meerwald', the 'Pride of Baltimore II'

copyright Thomas Armstrong

 

I have to hand it to John Brady, his staff and the volunteers at the Independence Seaport Museum. John had a vision a couple of years ago about how to grow this festival and it's paying off. There were more ships (7),  more visitors and more vendors than ever before, despite dire weather forecasts, which as you can see from my photos, did not hold sway. I went down on Sunday, it was a beautiful day, a bit windy. These ships are amazing, every one of them, and seem to be a big hit with the public. All the schooners present traveled on down to Baltimore after the festival to compete in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.

My only disappointment was the paucity of small craft, which I am sure will be rectified in the future.

I have given more attention to ships new to the festival this year. If you'd like more of 'Gazella', 'Meerwald', 'Pride of Baltimore II' and the 'Kalmar Nyckel', see my post from last year.This is a great festival, and growing, make plans to attend next year!

4th Annual Philadelphia Wooden Boat Festival

When I arrived at the Penn' Landing yacht basin, lots of boats werre in evidence, small, medium and large.

On the promenade fronting the boatshop I found a couple of runabouts, this one from Vintage Craft.

Gina Pickton was helping organize small boat races.

And there was John Schwarzenbach's Comet, almost fully restored, just needs working out the rigging details.

The boatshop crew and student volunteers have done a good job with her.


For comparison, her state last year.

Ned Asplundh's beautiful Joel White Marsh Cat, Frankford Yellow Jacket.


Ric Carrion's Elf


Ric doing his thing.


Paul Gray back with Quitessance. Her hull is a copy of Jarvis Newman's Dictator, a Friendship Sloop, but
Quintessance is schooner rigged. Making her one of a kind.


Paul races her in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. In three outings he's placed two firsts and one third in the C class. He'll be there again this year.


Roger Pritchard was back with his sweet H-28 Gwylin.


He's packing her off this winter to the Cutts and Case yard in Oxford Md for some restorative hull work, their epoxy and kevlar cord treatment.


A rowing race, here's Ron Gibbs and Barbara Munson in the Whitehall Polaris.
vs.


Pete Byar in Pete Peter's ducker Thomas Eakins
vs.


Ann & Kate in the Whitehall Culture.

Marcus Brandt, a Gazella crew, looking very salty for the occasion.

His gear was interesting, so I asked him about it. It's all homemade and mostly scavenged. Only the marlinspike and rivets for the knife handle were purchased.

The tug Jupiter down from
Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild (along with Gazela) doing double duty as stage for the serenade.


Here are Elizabeth Crampton and the aforementioned Marcus Brandt making ready the sharpie Isabel Una McKay for a sharpie race against Fish Stix.


Ned Asplundh leading Bill Covert to the start in a Delaware Tuckup race.


Shortly after the start with Bill leading.


Some 'match' racing here.


There off! Isabel Una Mckay v Fish Stix


Ned in Marion Brewington coming in far ahead of his adversary. Marion is a local TSCA boat. Top Priorty, the boat Bill Covert was in is,I believe,an ISM boat


Someone? rowed one of the Whitehalls squarely across the AJ Meerwald's bow as she was coming in. Not quite a near miss, but WHY risk it?


The Meerwald tying up.


My turn! Chis from Gazela paddlingus out from the dock in the Isabel Una for another sharpie race. His expression was a bit unsettling.


In truth, however, it was my inexperience in such a small craft which showed. Sitting on the thwart, the boom was at my elbow. Little to no wind. The gaff throat wasn't behaving correctly. I did something stupid and banged my coccyx which is only now feeling better.


Chris proved a capable helm and we did 'win' the race. Typically we finally got some wind just as we approached the dock and landed without grace, my fault. All is well, and despite some pain I enjoyed the experience.

all photos Thomas Armstrong

This years Phladelphia Wooden Boat Show exceeded expectations. More boats, from small craft to large ships, with some lovelies in between. More people, great weather, though the wind died in the afternoon. Wen Byar was the race committee, and along with Gina Pickton organized several small craft races which I am sure will become a mainstay of the fest. Sailing these older boat types is quite interesting and, in my case at least, somewhat instructive. These boats either were, or in the case of the tuckup, evolved from, traditional working boats from the 19th C. It is beautiful to see these craft come to life. The chance to get out and sail these boats is in a small way to re-experience the past and certainly gain appreciation for the skill of our forebears in working these boats. I found sailing the little sharpie in some ways more demanding and acute than the later, larger boats I am familiar with. What a generous opportunity.
Despite certain logistical difficulties having to do with being located in a major city, the ISM, under John Brady's guidance, and with the help of dedicated staff and the TSCA is moving forward and providing a rewarding experience for Philadelphia.