The rigging is impressive,
meter after meter and all with purpose. Four tall ships were in Summerside recently. Men were busy in the rigging on one of the vessels in preparation for sailing. Imagine doing that work any time, but especially in rough seas!
There were two square riggers plus a schooner and a sloop.
These ships aren’t a regular sight in Summerside. Most of the harbour traffic here is fishing boats
but sail boats are common in the summer.
Cargo ships are common as well, maneuvering their way around the Indian Head Lighthouse.
The most impressive sight however, is the tall ships, even when they are not under sail.
As the vessels left the harbour, one could imagine the days when our ancestors left distant shores, looking for a better life in various parts of the New World. It wasn't too long ago when the only vessels in this harbour were powered by the wind.
The first to leave port was the Alexander von Humboldt II from Germany, the biggest of the vessels, a three masted square rigger. She had her green sails furled as she headed out through the channel.
Then the other square rigger, the Picton Castle, left the wharf.
The schooner, the Bowdoin, had sails from one mast as she passed.
Together with the sloop, the Peter von Danzig, these are training ships, where new generations learn the skills necessary to operate the vessels.
In the distance, the Humboldt resembles a ghost of a by-gone era.
0 Yorumlar