Tall ships will have little time to lollygag

Vessels docked here will test skills in race up East Coast

Maritime Festival News

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For most of the tall ships docked in Charleston Harbor this weekend, the city marks the starting line for the Tall Ship Challenge.

In the next two months, most of the ships will be racing from port to port up the East Coast, stopping at similar festivals at Norfolk, Va.; Newport, R.I.; and Halifax, Nova Scotia, in a challenge organized by the American Sail Training Association.

The race gives each ship's crew a chance to put their skills to the test and work together with a goal in sight. But racing takes a back seat to teamwork, ASTA board member Fred "Bunky" Wichmann Jr. said.

"What's important is that it gives the crews something to work for. If you are just lackadaisically sailing up the coast, you won't be as sharp as when you are racing. There's a lot more to do when you are racing."

The Tall Ship Challenge is held about every three years, with courses rotating around the Great Lakes and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. This year's race will begin after the ships parade out of Charleston Harbor at 7 tonight. Because each ship naturally sails at different speeds, the race has a ranking system, so the first ship to cross the finish line might not win the gold, or rather, the bragging rights.

"They are getting camaraderie and the ability to work together as a team," race director Jonathan Harley said.

The association's mission is to introduce young people to maritime history, to teach them to sail, and to help them develop leadership and teamwork skills.

"It allows them to explore themselves and their potential," Wichmann said. "You can't do that in a regular classroom."

Reid Perinchief, 17, sailed into Charleston Harbor on Thursday aboard the Spirit of Bermuda. Having sailed with the ship since last summer, he is now a watch leader and helps teach the new sailors.

"It teaches you how to organize things and execute them," he said. "I trust people more now. You need to be able to trust people with your life when you are on the ship."

The Spirit of Bermuda will sail back to Hamilton, Bermuda, before rejoining the Tall Ship Challenge in Norfolk. Already, the crew has tasted the thrill of competition, passing England's Prince William en route to Charleston. The Spirit of Bermuda fired a cannon as it passed, and the British brig responded with a cannon reply.

"We passed fast," Perinchief said and laughed. "It felt nice."

Reach Jamie McGee at jmcgee@postandcourier.com or 745-5856.