Pride Of Baltimore II Leaves For 5-Month Voyage
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- There was lots of excitement at the Inner Harbor Monday morning as the Pride of Baltimore II left on a long goodwill mission.
Ron Matz was there as the Pride set sail for a five-month voyage.
The Pride of Baltimore II was a majestic sight as she left the Inner Harbor. Who wouldn't want to be sailing?
"She's a beautiful ship. She's maintained in great condition and she looks like she'd be a pleasure to sail," said David Hunt, from Columbia.
Captain Jan Miles and a crew of 12 will sail north to the Great Lakes and Canada.
"We're headed up to the Great Lakes to promote Maryland and Baltimore's plans for the bicentennial of the War of 1812. We'll be going to New York and Boston. Rochester will be our first stop in the Lakes. That will take us the next three weeks. Then she'll go westward to Duluth and Chicago, among other stops," said Miles, Pride of Baltimore II captain.
There will be 25 stops over five months.
"I'm excited. I think all of the crew is excited. We've had a great spring here in the bay and we are headed north, hoping to get out of the heat a little bit as we head north. I think it's going to be a great season," said Rebecca Pskowski, bosun of the Pride of Baltimore II. "We're traveling up through Canada into the Great Lakes. We'll be talking to people about the history of the War of 1812. We'll be talking about the City of Baltimore today and the state of Maryland and the bay."
"If it's going to be hot here at home then it's going to be hot in the bay. We'll be making a transit through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal down the Delaware Bay trying to get to the Atlantic. The Atlantic will be cooler," said Miles.
The Pride is scheduled to return to Baltimore in early November. By then, she will have traveled about 8,000 nautical miles.
"It's enjoyable, because that is what the crew is here for. They want to go sailing so the chance to sail a complicated vessel, a traditional vessel, offshore is every exciting to them," said Miles. "It's got a little bit of ritual to it, some of it is invigorating and some of it is the same old, same old, but there's nothing finer."
In June of next year the Pride will be part of an international parade of ships that will sail into the Inner Harbor to launch the U.S. Bicentennial Commemoration of the War of 1812.
