Archives for July 2014

PRESS RELEASE: Pride of Baltimore, Inc. Welcomes Six New Trustees to the Board of Directors

Contact: Kate Cwiek
PR & Marketing Manager
kate@pride2.org
410-539-1170

PRIDE OF BALTIMORE, INC. WELCOMES SIX NEW TRUSTEES TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BALTIMORE, MD – Pride of Baltimore, Inc. welcomes six executives and community leaders to its Board of Directors. Albert Grimes, Jim Hilyard, Paul Mauritz, Michael McDaniel, Luke Ritter, and Richard Wiklund join a dynamic board of 21 led by Chairman of the Board, Stuart R. Amos of FLAVORx.

“We are delighted to be able to strengthen and broaden the Board with the addition of these new members. We look forward to them continuing to help the fine mission of this beautiful ship. With the Pride now in charitable hands we rely on our Board and the community to help keep her sailing,” said Chairman of the Board, Stuart R. Amos.

Albert Grimes | Owner and President, Curtis Engine & Equipment Co., Inc.
Albert Grimes is the President and Co-Owner of Curtis Engine & Equipment Co., Inc., a Baltimore-based power generation company. Past positions include Founder and President of Resource Tower Company, Founder and President of Microcell Management, President and Co-Founder of First Cellular Group, consultant work for Sprint Corporation, and President of Cellular One. Mr. Grimes previously served in the Maryland Army Guard and the Coast Guard Reserve. An avid boater, he is past founder and past Commodore of the Baltimore City Yacht Racing Organization.

Jim Hilyard | Retired President, Roofing Products Group, CertainTeed Corporation
Jim Hilyard is a retired President of CertainTeed Corporation’s Roofing Products Group. He has also served as President and Chairman of the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association, member of three international committees on health and the environment, and Chairman of the annual fund of the Cleveland chapter of the Carnegie Mellon Alumni Association. At Cast Western Reserve University he serves as advisor to the Office of International Affairs, member of the Alumni Advisory Board, Co-Chair of the Weatherhead School of Management, and received the 2011 Distinguished Alumni of the Year award. Having participated in 13 overnight guest crew passages and sailed over 5,000 miles aboard Pride, in 2013 Mr. Hilyard was honored as a “Honorary Crew Member.”

Paul Mauritz | CEO, Chesapeake NetCraftsmen
Paul Mauritz is the CEO of Chesapeake NetCraftsmen, an engineering firm focused on designing, deploying, and operating IT solutions that drive business for its customers. Prior to NetCraftsmen, Mr. Mauritz was a Vice President at BAE Systems, where he was on the executive team for the IT and Cyber business. He has more than thirty years of experience in operations, corporate and business development, sales, and marketing, and has led companies through all phases of the business life cycle. Mr. Mauritz is active in the Maryland community as Chair of the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, and past Chair of the Greater Baltimore Technology Council.

Michael McDaniel | President & CEO, Harbor Boating, Inc., MD
Michael McDaniel is the President and CEO for the maritime company doing business as “Baltimore Water Taxi”. Working with the Board of Directors and Executive Management Team, he is responsible for providing strategic leadership for the company, establishing long-range goals, strategies, plans, and policies. Prior to that, he was a Marine Corps Infantry Officer who served as a Platoon Commander and Executive Officer in support of Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Mr. McDaniel also served as an Anti-terrorism Force Protection Officer and Operations Officer for Marine Corps Forces Pacific. He currently sits on the board of the American Red Cross Chesapeake Region, Frank J. Battaglia Signal 13 Foundation, Sail Baltimore, and Baltimore Heritage Area Association.

Luke Ritter | Executive Vice President, Ridge Global
Luke Ritter is Executive Vice President at Ridge Global, the strategic consulting firm founded by Tom Ridge, the first Secretary of Homeland Security and 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania. As a member of the senior management team, Mr. Ritter leads the Transportation Security and Risk Management practice areas. Prior to joining Ridge Global, Mr. Ritter was the founder and CEO of Trident Global Partners. He is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former Surface Warfare Officer. Mr. Ritter holds an M.B.A from Old Dominion University, and is a board certified Transportation and Logistics Professional (American Society of Transportation and Logistics). He is the co-author of Securing Global Transportation Networks (McGraw Hill), and has been recently published or quoted in: Journal of Commerce, Security Management, Directors Monthly, and Cargo Security International. Mr. Ritter currently serves on the Advisory Boards of: iJET International, Inc., Decision Sciences International Corporation, and HALO Maritime Defense.

Richard Wiklund | CEO, Avideon Corporation and Founder, Atlantic MobileApps
As President and Founder of Baltimore-based AvideonCRM LLC and AtlanticMobileApps LLC, Richard Wiklund has over 20 years of experience in technology marketing and sales. A serial entrepreneur, Mr. Wiklund founded AtlanticMobileApps.com in 2014, offering low-cost mobile apps to businesses. Prior to Avideon, Mr. Wiklund held positions as Vice President of Business Development and Vice President of E-DOC at Cadmus Communications. He is an active boardmember of the Maryland Family Network, supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project and Ducks Unlimited, and a member of the Board of Governors of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

“Preserving and promoting America’s maritime heritage is a sacred trust,” said Luke Ritter. “As a Maryland resident, a former Naval Officer, and an avid Chesapeake Bay sailor, it is truly an honor, and a privilege to be joining this committed team of maritime professionals.”

About the Pride of Baltimore

Pride of Baltimore II is a reconstruction of an early 19th century Baltimore Clipper. These sleek, fast, and maneuverable vessels became famous as privateers during the War of 1812. Their success in capturing British merchant ships inspired the Royal Navy’s attack on Baltimore in 1814. When Francis Scott Key saw the American flag still flying after the all-night bombardment of Fort McHenry, he was inspired to pen the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

2014 is the first year in many that Pride will remain in local waters – traveling to as many Maryland ports as possible throughout the Star-Spangled Summer of 2014, celebrating the 200th anniversary of our National Anthem. Since her commissioning in October of 1988, Pride has traveled over 250,000 nautical miles, visited 40 countries, and docked in over 200 ports of call. For more information on Pride’s 2014 sailing schedule, education initiatives, or membership program, please visit www.pride2.org

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CAPTAIN'S LOG: "The Spa" aboard PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II…a rare speciality…to be found nowhere else…

Swimming, sailing, exercise, calisthenics, weights, climbing, good food, cool drinks, naps in the morning, naps in the afternoon, fantastic deserts, all day long activities, well into the evening hours. Night-sky full of stars and the occasional planet. A half moon at the moment. Ever changing view of wide open spaces remote from crowded developments. Quiet environment save for the wind in the rigging and the jokes of your spa-mates.

For two days Pride has been sailing south in the Chesapeake Bay without aid of engine. The wind has been a hot, mostly breezy 10-20 knots from the SSW & SW.

Sailing started at 1100 yesterday (Monday) right from the Inner Harbor. At 2130 last evening the anchor was dropped near Deal, Maryland and the harbor known as Herring Harbor on the west side of The Bay south of the Annapolis Region…sort of directly across from Poplar Island/Tilghman Island on the eastern side. Yesterday’s sail required 8 tacks because of the amount of south in the wind direction. The crew were stood into their “sea watches” for the day on one hour rotation. The two watches not steering and keeping an eye on things were stood down to nap, read, whatever, till they were called for tacking. By 2215 all was secured and all hands stood down for the night after sailing to the anchor. Come 2300, not a soul was in sight, not a creature was stirring.

Today the day started at 0600 with sailing off the anchor. Wind was up a bit more than 10-15 with gusts of 20 knots from yesterday. Today it was forecast to 15 knots with gusts of 25 knots. With the more southwesterly slant than yesterday it only took 2 tacks to get further down The Bay. We did not actually see gusts of 25 knots till this afternoon as we were approaching Point No Point, MD. At first we struck the square fore-topsail. Then upon review of the situation, struck the main ‘on the fly’ and jibbed around (striking the jib while doing so) to reverse our course about one mile to anchor close to the western shore not far north of Point No Point. As of 1500 there was swim call. 88 degree water! Very spa like…might you think? Especially with the whole day spent napping between the two tacks and some steering and ‘boat-checks’.Good naps too, considering the watch rotation was extended to 2 hours. One could get some real reading or sleeping between the exercise of tacking ship. After swim call…more naps before supper. Yeah, almost spa like.

Captain Miles Honored as "Honorary Colonel" at Fort McHenry Military Tattoo

The experience of the Military Tattoo event on June 28th would have been amazing even without having been chosen to receive status as Honorary Colonel of the Fort McHenry Guard! Sitting with Ranger Vince Vaise on the podium, observing the four Fife and Drum Corps passing by us, was surrealistic and a great honor! I was not a member of the general crowd, but almost alone on a podium in front of the bands. What a strange and honored experience!

I would like to give my sincere thanks to the very dedicated folks at Fort McHenry for bestowing upon the Honorary Colonel designation. They are a most dedicated group of professionals and volunteers. To be given membership to the long and dedicated traditions there is most humbling and something I greatly treasure.

To the colleagues and friends I’ve made over the years through the astonishing four decade legacy of the PRIDEs of Baltimore, it is important to me that you know my deep appreciation and honor to be a part of your constant support. May PRIDE continue many voyages as our worldwide renowned “Star-Spangled Ambassador” and maritime icon of our city, our state, our nation, and our world.

Together we stand knowing our accomplishments of the last four decades are proof of the value and importance of preserving the PRIDE legacy in perpetuity. The legacy is a story of all of us that spans our past and our renaissance since 1976. Like all valued shrines of our past that we support, such as Fort McHenry, we recognize the value of our “living” legacy through sailing PRIDE far and wide. Through those voyages we now posses the only American sailing vessel so widely well known by the nation and the world. What an honor it is to be a member among all of you!