Madeline Stewart
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The loud bang of cannons firing signaled something atypical was happening as the usual crowd of brunchers and joggers meandered through Fells Point on March 27. It’s not every day that waterfront brunching is interrupted by the Baltimore season debut of The Pride of Baltimore II, a replica of the topsail schooners built in Baltimore around 1812.
After spending the majority of the year off during the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 kick-off marked a highly anticipated return to the waters for The Pride of Baltimore II and her crew. Pride II also launched a new partnership with the National Parks Service’s Star-Spangled Banner Trail.
It takes a long time to dock a boat, especially a 157-foot-long topsail schooner. The crew heaved each heavy rope and tied up to the moorings at the foot of the Broadway Pier in Fells Point. While the boat inched closer to the pier, onlookers watched in amazement and Captain Jan Miles barked orders at the crew.
Two crew members struggled with the line, and the others had to quickly scramble to the other side of the ship to help. Captain Miles turned to the crowd and joked, “They just don’t make twenty-first century people like they used to.”
The ship was docking in Fells Point to kick-off the 2021 season on one of the stops on the Star-Spangled Banner Trail, a 560-mile trail that traces the progression of the British Navy throughout the Chesapeake region during the War of 1812.
“What better way to follow that trail than on a reproduction of a boat from that time?” deckhand Mary Walker said. “At that time the United States didn’t have a navy, so many of the battles were fought with privateering ships, and many of those ships were built here in Fells Point.”
After the ship docked, crew members got busy building their exhibit from the National Parks Service. A series of signs that explain the history of Baltimore’s involvement in the War of 1812 will be displayed throughout the season when the ship docks along the trail. The crew welcomed the return to a more typical sailing season after the cancellation of the 2020 season in addition to the new partnership.
“We’re just trying to get back to normal by sailing the boat,” Miles said. “The boat is so attractive, so why not?”
The first Pride of Baltimore was launched in 1977 as part of the Inner Harbor revitalization efforts to symbolize Baltimore’s role in the war of 1812. The first ship and the lives of four crew members were lost in May of 1986 during a storm in the Caribbean.
“That boat changed local hearts and minds about this town,” Miles said.
There were no plans to rebuild after the tragedy until unsolicited local donations started pouring in, prompting the building of a second ship that launched in 1988. Admired locally and around the world, the current ship has sailed as far as China and Ukraine. A typical Pride II season includes events in Maryland and abroad, guest crew opportunities and tours.
The pandemic has halted tours and guest crews, but the professional crew is still working hard at pandemic-friendly events for this season. The crew comes from all over the country— crew members consider it an incredible honor to get to work on The Pride of Baltimore II.
“Tall ship sailing is a pretty niche community, so once you’re on one ship you meet people who have been on other ones,” said deckhand Haley Ferrer. “My mate on my last boat said she would cut off a leg and an arm to work on Pride, so I was like, ‘okay, I’ll apply!’ ”
A ship built from community support in the wake of tragedy, Pride II is no stranger to resilience. After the uncertain and tragic past year, the enthusiastic return of the local icon to the water to promote Maryland’s history seems to signal smoother sailing ahead.