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The Tall Ships At Newportby Paul Pence
Throughout
the summer, Newport attracts more than its share of boaters, but when the
"Tall Ships" are in port, everyone in Rhode Island who can pilot a
boat, drive a car, or catch a public bus is drawn to Newport. Not that the
famous seaport needs the giant sailing ships to attract visitors, but it just feels
so right that the historic ships and their modern brethren come to visit.
Within
the harbor, the crew stowed Brandaris's mainsail. The 63-foot ship chugged through the complex
boat traffic lanes, courtesy of its vintage motor. The harbormaster and coast
guard did their best to maintain order, routing boats counterclockwise, past
and between sailboats and Tall Ships, huge motor cruisers, tiny inflatables,
one-man kayaks, and over-powered ski boats. We
passed boats packed with gawking tour groups and heard their tour guide
announce, "Passing on our starboard is the 63-foot Brandaris. It was built
in 1938 in the Netherlands where it helped the original owners escape the Nazi
occupation. It later assisted in the evacuation of Dunkirk, rescuing over a
hundred British soldiers. It has a draft of only three feet and uses lee boards
rather than a centerboard when sailing." The tourists waved, we waved.
They took pictures of us, we took pictures of them. The atmosphere around the
harbor felt much like cruising in a '57 Chevy convertible down main street,
where looking was only half the reason for being there. The Tall Ships awaited. In all, 50 ships constituted the official fleet, but countless other B and C class sailing craft made Newport Harbor and nearby Narragansett Bay a forest of masts and sails. With too many ships to even list, here are a few highlights.
Once on land, visitors to Newport could visit some of the ships and chat with their crews. There they could learn with amazement what the crew of the original 1757 HMS Rose had to undergo in a sea voyage from the crew of the 179-foot reproduction built in 1970. Or they could listen to the crew of the Irish ship Asgard II freely mix Gaelic words with their English as they spoke of sailing the North Sea in their green and gold ship. After
touring the ships, visitors find themselves within a short stroll of some of
Newport's finest shops, museums, and restaurants. But before long, they'll find
themselves back at the waterfront. One
of the greatest things about harbors like Newport's is their water taxi. Even visitors
arriving by car can get out on the water, if only to get from Bowen's Wharf and
its shops and restaurants, to Goat Island with the modern Hyatt Regency or even
to Jamestown across the bay or historic Fort Adams. Fort
Adams, in particular, is an excellent choice of locations to visit, because the
water taxi drop-off is right at the Museum of Yachting. Fans of the America's
Cup, in particular, will love the exhibit of memorabilia, with models and
photographs of a half-century of America's Cup races at Newport. The classic
yachts in the basin outside including the light green Courageous, a yacht that
won the Americas cup in 1974 and 1977, and "Catboats" -- shallow
draft boats with trapezoidal sails designed for Rhode Island waterways.
And
after a long day touring boats, browsing shops, and visiting museums, we found the
slow, quiet trip by sail back across the bay was an excellent time to soak in
the sunset. Links:
The
Newport County Convention and Visitor's Bureau will be happy to help you plan
your trip to Newport -- http://www.gonewport.com
Livecam
on top of the Hyatt Regency Newport on Goat Island gives spectacular views of Newport
Harbor. -- http://www.livewave.com/cobrand.asp?feed=9
Want
your own inexpensive Newport sailing adventure? Try Sailing Tours at
http://newportsailing.com or Sightsailing at http://sightsailing.com
The
Brandaris has no website, you can charter the ship out of Wickford Cove in
Rhode Island by phone at 401/294-1481 Images
© 2000 by Paul Pence |
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TM
Sailing across Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay to Newport seemed
the ideal, most fitting, way to see the Tall Ships. The Brandaris, a vintage
shallow-draft ship, made an excellent choice with its distinctive and stable hull,
curved-top mailsail, and luxuriously appointed interior featuring a working
fireplace. Occasionally, an errant wave would slap against the rounded bow, but
most of the time the Brandaris rocked rhythmically at a
tempo even a "landlubber" could handle, no worse than riding a horse.
But approaching Newport Harbor, the chaotic wakes of passing speedboats
occasionally forced even the seasoned crew of the ship to sneak out a hand to
steady themselves.
Tallest of the fleet was the
Kruzenshtern from Russia.
At 372 feet, this black and yellow mammoth is the second largest sailing ship
in the world. It moored well away from the heavy traffic and piers of Newport
and received only those guests who could sail out to meet her. When the term
"Tall Ship" was invented, it must have been for a bark like this with
its four towering masts and sails that cover 39,300 square feet.
Brazil's
Cisne Branco (White Swan) sparkled
with gold guilding on its white, 255-foot length. The Cisne Branco is no
antique, despite being a three-masted sailing ship, it was built to commemorate
the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Europeans in Brazil. The sailors on
this maiden voyage seemed to enjoy the attention that their ship gave them,
waving enthusiastically from port holes and from dizzying heights of masts.
The
Juan Sebastian de Elcano, the
Spanish Navy's training ship, had moored at a nearby US Navy dock. Visitors to
this 305-foot schooner were welcomed with crisp military decorum and enough
spit-and-polish among the midshipmen to make Ferdinand Magellan proud. 
Even after the Tall Ships leave, Newport still has its own,
hometown fleet of sailing vessels that make sail-watching enjoyable all summer.
The Providence,
a sloop with a square topmast and a 110-foot length is a common sight in
Newport, as is the Aurora with its deep red sails and the Compass Rose, which looks
like a pirate ship. 
Several 12-meter racing yachts also consider Newport home. The
American
Eagle, Columbia, Heritage, Nefertiti, and Weatherly
often slip along the harbor with their colorful hulls low and sleek against the
water. These show-offs race each other all summer on Narragansett Bay. But
while the tall ships were in port, the crews seemed content to soak in the
glory of their past triumphs racing for the America's Cup.