The name "Appledore" was chosen by Herb as a tribute to his wife who he first saw while sailing a small boat off Appledore Island, according to the Tall Ships Erie website. The schooner was originally commissioned by Herb and Doris Smith and built by Mark Treworgy. The schooner, which launched in 1989, is owned and operated by BaySail, a nonprofit based in Bay City, Michigan. While day sails on the Appledore IV are sold out Saturday and Sunday, the vessel can still be viewed up close when it is docked on the west side of Dobbins Landing. "He gets mysteriously moved, kind of like an elf on a shelf," Gibas said. Following the Parade of Sail on Thursday, Gibas retrieved him from a cupboard and placed him on a mast. "It's super exciting to be here."Ĭheck out the Rubber Duck: World's Largest Rubber Duck returning to Tall Ships Erie for 2022 festivalĪs for Fweej the Overseer, the Appledore IV remains his home. "When you come to ports like Erie, this is kind of what we live for," he said. The Appledore IV participated in Tall Ships Erie 2019. So far, Gibas said the journey to Erie has been smooth sailing. "So if you're talking, we'll literally jump off the ship onto the dock and say the name of the sunken boat and then come back onto the ship." "You also never mention the name of a sunken shape while you are on deck," Gibas said. These include not whistling on deck - which some sailors claim brings bad weather - and knocking on wood whenever someone says something negative. "We have quite a few superstitions," Gibas said. This is where superstitions come into play. Gibas said every four hours is "meticulously planned" with the weather forecast in mind, so the ship can navigate around or in between storms. Don't whistle on deck, and other superstitionsĭays can be routine but bad weather is always a possibility. Smoke rises after a cannon was fired from the Pride of Baltimore II, top left. Four ships following the Niagara were also heading east after making a turn in Presque Isle Bay. Brig Niagara, lower right, leads the Parade of Sail, kicking off Tall Ships Erie 2022, in Erie on Aug. He described this as a process of preserving steel cables and ropes by wrapping them in cotton and canvas and tarring them for protection.Īs Lantz put it, "it's a traditional maritime thing that people don't do anymore." "But even old-time stuff, too, like worming, parceling and serving." "We do electrical stuff, plumbing, carpentry, varnishing - real detailed work," he said. Lantz described his duties as "skilled labor." "You don't really get personal space but you just have to learn to get over it and work together as a team." "It's a lot like an apartment in college and you have a lot of roommates," he said. He's lived full-time on the ship for the past two years. 25, 2022, that opened the 2022 Tall Ships Erie festival on Erie's bayfront.Īttractions on land: Tall Ships Erie 2022: Festival to offer variety of attractions on land, tooįor Taylor Lantz, the 22-year-old ship's first mate, life aboard the ship isn't just a profession, it's his life. The Appledore IV sails west during the Parade of Sail on Presque Isle Bay, on Aug. The ship does have electricity, which powers radios and other equipment. Gibas said the ship has a cooler filled with ice, a diesel fire stove and an oven onboard. The food is also simple, with most meals consisting of fish, rice, vegetables and fruits. The crew - despite all being 22 or younger, except Gibas - lives "old-school," as Gibas described it, playing cards and reading books when they can, instead of being glued to an electronic device. And then the next thing you know it feels like it's Thursday but it's really still Monday," Gibas said. "That eight hours feels like a whole day because you work for four hours, then you sleep for four hours. Gibas, who's raced sailboats for much of his life, described the journey - and life in general aboard a tall ship - as a lot of manual labor and boat maintenance, with crew members rotating on four-hour shifts. The Appledore IV made a 52-hour voyage from Bay City, Michigan to Erie for the festival, with just one stop in Cleveland. "We give him offerings, too, and all of a sudden the weather improves," he said with a smile. Gibas, 45, said younger people will likely recognize Fweej after a simple Google search.
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