Pioneer Sails 1

Last fall I caught Pioneer from outboard; yesterday I rode Pioneer on its trip to welcome back schooner Anne and play with Erin Wadder.  This post is mostly intended to document the first part of that ride.  Before leaving the dock, captain and crew confer.

This seasoned crew greets passengers as they transition from terra to aqua.

After the vessel slips into the East River,  crew tidies docklines.

Crew on the halliards raise the mainsail; then

coil and hang these lines on the shrouds, to keep them from free to run, should an emergency lowering of sails need to happen.

Bow watch signals oncoming traffic.

Pioneer skitters down the Bay quite nicely for a hull that served as a sailing sand conveyance a full 125 years ago.  Imagine a 1985 Mack dumptruck racing around with paying passengers in the year 2110!!

The winds inspiring Pioneer to skitter and scud also propel these other sailing vessels yesterday,  Anne farther and an unidentified sloop nearer.  Can anyone identify the sloop?

Scuppers port and starboard get a thorough rinsing.

Reid and Anne engage in some performance artistry with Freja Fionia.

The sloop tacks past again, and Pioneer, belly

in her sails, plays along.

A followup post soon will document Pioneer‘s return to the dock.  For now, sharing the air and water with us was a crew setting out on a formidable journey as Reid concluded his.  Artemisoceanrowing intended here to leave the sixth boro for a ride across the North Atlantic all the way

to the UK.  To be followed.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.  See you among the merfolk tomorrow!