Pride II Departs for the Great Lakes

Pride of Baltimore II, America’s Star-Spangled Ambassador, proudly announces its departure from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in the morning of Tuesday, June 7, 2016, for a four-month voyage along the East Coast to the Great Lakes. The tall ship’s mission is to promote Maryland’s economic interests to ports around the U.S. and Canada, as well as participate in the Tall Ships Challenge® Great Lakes 2016, which involves several sailing races throughout the summer. This marks the first time Pride II has left the Chesapeake Bay since 2013.

 

“In addition to participation in tall ship festivals throughout the Great Lakes, Pride IIwill also play an economic development role, ” says Rick Scott, Executive Director. “Through a recent partnership with the state of Maryland, Pride II will promote economic development and tourism for the state during her voyage to the Great Lakes this summer.”

 

Around 9 am, with her beautiful sails unfurled, Pride II will make a farewell voyage around the Inner Harbor and fire her cannons. The ship will travel past Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, one of several vantage points for both photographers and the general public to bid farewell before Pride II‘s return in early October. Pride II‘s exact departure time will be determined according to the weatheron Tuesday; please call Laura Rodini at 202-669-3065 or email laura@pride2.org for up-to-the minute information.

 

Optimal Viewing Locations for Media Coverage

Tide Point: View of Pride II approaching/passing by with Fells Point in the background.
Fells Point/Broadway Pier: View of Pride II approaching/passing by with Tide Point in the background.
Fells Point/Thames Street Area: View of Pride II passing by with Domino Sugar and Federal Hill in view.
Federal Hill (on actual hill): Full view of Pride II turning around in the Inner Harbor.

Fort McHenry: View of Pride II approaching/passing by with Key Bridge in background.

 

WEBSITEPride II will then sail 180 nautical miles south to Norfolk, Virginia, to participate in Norfolk Harborfest, America’s largest, longest-running, free maritime festival taking place from June 9 to 12, 2016. For more information about Norfolk Harborfest, visit this link.

 

Pride II will voyage north along the east coast, and then enter the St. Lawrence Seaway through a series of locks on her way to the Great Lakes in order to participate in the Tall Ships Challenge® Great Lakes 2016. “We are excited to take Pride II out of her home waters for the first time in several years,” says Captain Jan Miles. “Pride of Baltimore II is Maryland’s working symbol of the great natural resources and spectacular beauty of the Chesapeake Bay region, and a reminder of America’s rich maritime heritage. Pride II has a huge national and international following for her beauty, prowess and marketing ability, and we look forward to showcasing that.”

 

Pride II will race against other tall ships in each of the five freshwater lakes, making for heart-stopping events that tens of thousands of visitors will witness. Her unique design makes Pride II one of the most beloved and recognizable U.S. sailing vessels in the entire world.

 

On board Pride II, there will be professional photographers and videographers to capture the spirit of the moments and transmit images back to Pride II’s Baltimore headquarters.

 

Pride II will make stops in Toronto, Ontario, Fairport Harbor, Ohio, Bay City, Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, Green Bay, Wisconsin, Duluth, Minnesota, Erie, Pennsylvania, and Brockville, Ontario, with the possibility of an additional port to be announced. For more information about the Tall Ships Challenge® Great Lakes 2016, visit this link.

 

At each port, Pride II will offer free deck tours and, in some ports, offer day sails for the general public. She will also host business receptions, as Pride II represents Maryland’s economic development interests throughout North America. Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to cross her decks this summer.

 

In January 2016, Pride II announced a public-private partnership with the state of Maryland to promote economic development for the state and the city of Baltimore. Announcing the new partnership, Governor Larry Hogan said, “Pride of Baltimore II is a wonderful symbol of the rich maritime heritage of both our state and Baltimore, and the ship generates extremely valuable exposure and goodwill wherever she goes. We are pleased to have a new partnership with the Pride to have her help carry our message across the state, nation and globe—that Maryland is great place to do business.”

Pride II will be reporting back on its progress.

 

Twenty-Seven Years of Sailing With Pride #27forPride2

Pride of Baltimore II was commissioned 27 years ago today! An excerpt from Greg Pease’s Sailing with Pride:

 

Pride of Baltimore II was officially commissioned on Sunday, October 23, 1988 in Fells Point, Baltimore. Hundreds crowded the docks to watch as Pride II was given orders to sail forth on her maiden voyage.

Following dedications by city and state officials and the blessing of the ship by Reverend William N. McKeachie, Commander Patrick Dunne, Captain of the USS Baltimore, gave Captain Jan Miles his commissioning orders. “Captain Miles, assume command of the Pride of Baltimore II and place her in commission,” to which Miles answered, “Aye, aye, sir. I am in command. Pride of Baltimore II is now in commission.” Miles then turned to his crew and order the raising of the flag. Two crew members hoisted a replica of the fifteen-star, fifteen stripe U.S. flag which flew over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. (It was the sight of this flag which inspired Francis Scott Key to write our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”) The flags of Maryland and Baltimore and a Pride of Baltimore II pennant were quickly run up, joining the U.S. flag. As Pride II pulled away from the dock, firing her cannons in salute, the Navy band struck up “Anchors Aweigh.”

With an escort of three large schooners and a flotilla of smaller boats, Pride of Baltimore II took her first official tour of the Inner Harbor. It was a crisp, sunny day, and thousands lined the water’s edge to wave farewell. After eighteen months, Pride II was on her way, to not only carry on the mission of her predecessor, but to make her own history as Maryland’s ambassador to the world. –S.S.

 

THE SUN – OCTOBER 24, 1988

Pride of Baltimore featured in the Baltimore Sun on October 24, 1988

MEDIA ALERT: Pride of Baltimore Now Offering Guided Deck Tours

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

Pride of Baltimore Now Offering Guided Deck Tours

Come aboard for a 30-minute guided tour aboard America’s Star-Spangled Ambassador

 

BALTIMORE, April 24, 2014 — Pride of Baltimore is now offering a series of guided deck tours to their list of opportunities to come aboard.  The first series of tours will take place this Saturday, April 26th between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM from Broadway Pier (1701 Thames Street, Baltimore, MD 21231) in Fells Point.

A 30-minute guided deck tour is the ultimate way to explore Pride’s deck, learn about past and present life aboard topsail schooner privateers, and interact with the vessel’s passionate and knowledgeable crew. Pride’s well-trained sailors will lead guests through various interpretive stations, including a hands-on demonstration in the Baltimore schooner design as well as an exciting video of Pride in action, bringing to life the traditional sailing experience for privateers in 1812.  Tours are open to adults, children, and groups of all types. Guests are asked to arrive 10-15 minutes prior to their tour for registration.

Guided deck tours will be offered in various ports Pride will visit in 2014. Tour schedule and ticket information can be found on the Pride website: https://www.pride2.org/come-aboard/guided-deck-tours/

The Pride of Baltimore 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 1812.  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, reaching between 50,000 and 100,000 people in her port visits throughout the state. 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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A Walk Down Thames Street

Walking east down Thames Street in Fell’s Point last week, past the Broadway City Pier, one could see the tip of our jibboom past the trees and step by step our headrig is revealed and soon the whole of the iconic Baltimore Clipper is in sight, proud and elegant. She’s right where she should be, in the heart of Fell’s Point, the original home to these schooners two hundred years ago. The area was developed in the late 18th century to become Chesapeake Bay’s shipbuilding and trading center. Shipyards and canneries lined the waterfront and local shops inland were dedicated to those workers. The community has fought hard to keep it the way it was, with restored buildings of old notable residents, shipyards and the notorious bumpy roads threatening high-heeled ankles on a Friday night.

It takes no stretch of the imagination while walking around the neighborhood to envision what life would have been like in the 18th and 19th centuries. People with carts hawking oysters and produce, disembodied hammers banging, kids in those knee high socks running around, rolling a hoop with a stick, and of course ships at anchor, crowding the harbor. Yes, Fell’s Point, although demographically has changed and the vendors therein tailor to a different audience now, it still keeps that same sort of… attitude. As a non-native Baltimorean, I just love the sheer aesthetics of these few square blocks.

The other day, docked here at the base of Ann St. at Thames, I climbed aloft to do maintenance on the main mast and was able to get a birds-eye view of the area in the rain. The clouds cast a Dickensian grey shade over the gabled landscape and if I squinted just right and lost myself, the era changed instantly and I was brought right back to the 1800’s. I hate to admit it, tarnishing what can only be the captains’ idea of my flawless work ethic, but I may have taken a moment from stitching up leather to soak in the feeling emanating from such a perspective. It reminded me that I am here not just to sail this awesome boat, but also to live and to celebrate the rich history of Baltimore. Sure, I’ve been working and explaining the history up and down the coast this year, but when I saw that view from the Ann Street Wharf I understood why it is something not only worth celebrating, it is worth preserving.

This year we’ve done a lot of work with Fort McHenry, the famed fort that withstood the onslaught of the English Navy just 198 years ago because of the audacity the city had in building ships like ours, as well as finding sailors brazen enough to sail them into such peril for money and country. Today, we had volunteer historical interpreters on board for an afternoon sail. They knew plenty about the Fort and the war, but we knew about the boats. We took this as an opportunity to show them why. Why Baltimore Clippers were so successful. Why America was able resist the British in the war. Why the British didn’t stop at Washington D.C. on their trip up here during the war.

Baltimore is lucky to have played such a vital role in this war, to have such a lively cosmopolitan locale like Fell’s Point during the industrial and commercial boom, and to have Fort McHenry to defend its honor and independence.  America is lucky to have Baltimore! Imagine how the international boundaries and geopolitical landscape would have been changed were privateers not successful during the war, and the inspiring Star Spangled Banner never been written. Now imagine if Baltimore did not have Pride II. This honor and heritage would go largely forgotten! Even worse is that we would not have this awesome boat to sail!

Joe Hauser, Pride of Baltimore II Deckhand