As part of our 50 Years of Pride series, we are partnering with crew alumni from both Pride of Baltimore and the brigantine Romance to share the intertwined history of these two remarkable vessels. Over the years, many sailors served aboard both ships, carrying skills, traditions, and sea stories from one deck to the other. Their memories help tell a story not just about two vessels, but about the community of mariners who connected them.
Sailors have long had their own way of describing life at sea. Phrases like “fair winds and following seas” or “here’s to a good ship and a good crew” reflect the bonds formed among those who sail together. Another saying often heard among mariners is that the best ships are friendships.
That sentiment is reflected in the history shared between Baltimore’s tall ship, Pride of Baltimore, and the brigantine Romance. Though built decades apart and for different purposes, the two vessels became linked through the sailors who served aboard them.
Before she became the brigantine Romance, the vessel began life far from the Caribbean waters where many sailors would later know her. She was launched in 1936 in Svendborg, Denmark, built of Danish oak and beech at the respected J. Ring Andersen shipyard. Originally named Grethe, she was built as an auxiliary sailing trader, part of the fleet of small but capable vessels that carried cargo among the coasts and islands of northern Europe.
In a region where waterways served as major trade routes, ships like Grethe supplied factories, river towns, and small harbors with needed goods. Built to withstand the rough weather of the North Sea and Baltic trades, she carried roughly 200 tons of cargo and sailed widely—sometimes as far as Greenland. Her design reflected the practical traditions of northern European working vessels: strong construction, efficient lines, and the ability to endure years of hard service.
These qualities later caught the attention of the well-known sailor and author Captain Alan Villiers, who selected Grethe to be converted into a brigantine for the film adaptation of James Michener’s Hawaii. Danish shipwrights, sailmakers, and riggers, many brought out of retirement, refitted the vessel with care, creating the brigantine that would soon sail under the name Romance.
From 1966 through 1989, Captain Arthur “Skipper” Kimberly and Gloria Kimberly sailed Romance across the world’s oceans. The vessel carried crews of young sailors through the Caribbean, across the Pacific, and on voyages around the globe. Life aboard relied on traditional navigation and seamanship—using a sextant, a chronometer, and the skills required to operate a square-rigged sailing vessel.
For many who sailed aboard her, Romance served as a formative experience at sea.
That connection is captured in a photograph taken in the late 1980s in the harbor of Bequia. Anchored together are the seasoned Romance and the much younger Pride of Baltimore. The image represents more than two ships sharing an anchorage, it reflects the shared community of sailors between them.
A number of crew members who served aboard Pride of Baltimore had also spent time aboard Romance. Crew moved between the vessels, bringing with them the traditions of square-sail seamanship, navigating by sun and stars, and maintaining the discipline required to operate a traditional sailing ship.
The photograph captures a small moment in that shared history, but it reflects a larger tradition within the tall ship world, where knowledge, experience, and mentorship pass from one crew to the next and from one vessel to another.
Through the stories and memories shared by the former crew of both Pride of Baltimore and Romance. This history continues to come to light, helping preserve the legacy of two remarkable ships and the sailors who connected them.
In the end, the old saying may still hold true: the best ships really are friendships.
We hope you are enjoying our ongoing 50 Years of Pride series. Information for this blog was made possible by Tony Audrieth, Steve Hyman, Captain Dan Moreland, and Captain Jan Miles.
Learn more about brigantine Romance by visiting The Windship Way, a website dedicated to the Kimberlys, Romance, and her crew, the “Marineros”.
Stay tuned for part 15 next week.
