Sail Aboard a Tall Ship, the Kalmar Nyckel, While She's in Provincetown

Today's Kalmar Nyckel under full sail.

You have just about another week to get out on the water aboard a remarkable tall ship, the Kalmar Nyckel. This ship is a recreation of the 141 foot full-rigged Dutch pinnace built in 1625. The city of Kalmar, Sweden, purchased the ship in 1628 as its contribution to the Royal Swedish Navy, and when the Swedish government decided to establish a trading colony in the New World, the Kalmar Nyckel was chosen to make the voyage, arriving in the area we know today as Wilmington, Deleware, in 1638. Fort Christina was built and a trading colony was established under the leadership of Peter Minuit.
This recreation of that historic ship was launched in 1997, and it now visits Provincetown for a couple of weeks each summer as it sails along the eastern seaboard visiting a number of ports before it returns home to Deleware in the autumn. Visit their website at www.kalmarnyckel.org for more information on this remarkable ship and the colorful history of the original Kalmar Nyckel.
While in Provincetown, this beautiful tall ship makes two sails daily (except Saturdays and Wednesdays) with a trip in the morning and one in the afternoon. The trip is about a three hour voyage around Provincetown Harbor, out into Cape Cod Bay, and out into the Atlantic Ocean. Passengers are invited to learn to listen for specific commands from the captain and to help to pull the ropes and raise the sails, if they'd care to. Many will try their hand at it, while other passengers are content to let others do all the work while they simply enjoy the trip.
Something new this year is the Pirate Sail, on specific trips, where the crew dresses in pirate garb, and guests are encouraged to dress up as well. Adults will enjoy a history talk, and kids will hear a pirate story and have a chance to help raise the Jolly Roger. See the sail and tour schedule of the Kalmar Nyckel to book a sail. Their last trips from PTown for this year will be on Sunday, July 27th. Adult fares are $60, kids 17 and under are $40. That may sound a bit pricey, but I've taken the trip and found it to be such a remarkable experience that I want to do it again. I might take the Pirate Sail this time...
At the very least, you'll want to walk down to the far end of MacMillan Pier and have a good look at this splendid tall ship. Its quite impressive, and I highly recommend going for a sail. When will you get another chance to get out on the water on a tall ship?
Bon voyage!

West End Racing Club Summer Fundraiser is Underway

Kids learn more than swimming and sailing at the West End Racing Club.

Somewhere back around the year 1950 a group of parents saw the need for a place for their kids to call their own as they were learning to swim and sail kind of informally along the beach near Flyer's boatyard. There were grown-ups teaching them about safety on the water as kids would show up on the beach on several afternoons during the week, and a few little sailboats were found to help the kids get started in learning to sail.
A building was needed to give these kids a permanent home and a place to gather to learn the art of sailing. For some of these kids, learning to swim was the first step. As the idea of a sailing club for kids began to take hold, money was raised, boats were built, volunteers were sought, and when a suitable small piece of property on the west end of Provincetown Harbor was found, a downpayment was made, and soon a fledgeling non-profit organization was born, dedicated to the mission of teaching Provincetown kids and summer visitors to swim and sail safely.
The West End Racing Club has been carrying on that mission ever since, raising funds every year through donations, T-shirt sales, and a yearly raffle that raises a good bit of the money needed to run the organization for another year. Raffle prizes in the past have included artwork, dinners in Provincetown restaurants, and a number of other rewards for contributing a few dollars to help kids from 8 to 16, residents and visitors alike, learn self-reliance and discipline as they learn to sail and race these little boats.
So when you meet these kids on the street, or find them occupying the fire station near Town Hall, crack open your wallet and buy a few raffle tickets, and help to continue this wonderful tradition of raising strong, confident kids as they learn to work together to master the art of sailing.

Beat the Heat of Warm Days Ahead with a Cooling Splash in Provincetown Harbor

Folks cool off at the West Vine Town Landing, next to Captain Jack's Wharf.

With this year's warmer-than-usual temperatures, it can be quite important to find ways to keep cool, like spending a little time in the water. The folks in this photo are cooling off at the Town Landing found at the foot of West Vine Street, next to Captain Jack's Wharf. Town Landings are found in spots all along Commercial Street, providing public access to the beaches on the edge of Provincetown's magnificent Harbor. There are footpaths and walkways leading to harbor beaches as well.
Each neighborhood has a Town Landing or a walkway to the harbor, and some areas have several. Use any of these to go for a walk on the beach (tide permitting) or to go for a swim, or to launch a canoe, kayak or raft. Town Landings can accommodate larger craft like rowboats and small motorboats, while the boat ramps at Flyer's and at the West End parking lot can accommodate bigger boats.
If you read my post on Earth Day, you may have already found some of these footpaths, walkways and Town Landings. Here's a list of current beach access points, eliminating the footpath next to the Ice House, where a "Private" sign has once again appeared, and I've added the new "beachwalk" next to 463 Commercial Street. It's a new clam shell footpath next to the newly remodeled home where the old Flagship restaurant and its famous bar made from an old fishing dory began welcoming diners back in 1930.  The remodeling job on the building and grounds included a new pathway to the harbor with a large sign that announces 24-hour access to the harbor via this beachwalk, as the sign calls it. So here's an updated list of PTown public beach access all along Commercial Street, beginning in the Far West End and working up the shoreline to the Far East End:

•West End Breakwater (climb down to the beach or walk out to Wood End or Long Point)

•West End Parking Lot (Town Landing and stairway to this tiny neighborhood beach)

•West Vine Street (Town Landing at Captain Jack's Wharf)

•Franklin Street (Town Landing on the west edge of U.S. Coast Guard grounds)

•Good Templar Place (Town Landing next to former Lorraine's, at Flyer's boatyard)

•Atlantic Avenue (Town Landing west of the Boatslip)

•Court Street (Town Landing east of Bubala's)

•Whalers Wharf walkway through the building (the footpath on the east side of the building is accessible 24 hours)

•Ryder Street (beach access between the kite shop and Fishermen's [Cabral's] Wharf)

•Freeman Street (Town Landing west of Lands End hardware store)

•Johnson Street (Town Landing at the back of the parking lot)

•Pearl Street (Town Landing)

•Between Law Street and Washington (Town Landing, next to Devon's)

•Near Bangs Street (Beachwalk on the west side of 463 Commercial Street)

•Saint Mary of the Harbor Episcopal Church (the stairway over the seawall at the back of the    church parking lot)

•Between Atkins Lane and Hancock Street (Town Landing)

•Fanizzi's (stairway at the back of the parking lot)

•East of Snail Road (stairway across from Harbor Hotel, 698 Commercial Street)

Last Saturday we hit 90 degrees in Provincetown, which is about 13 degrees higher than normal for this time of the year. Even at that, we were still a few degrees cooler than the folks in Boston. We've got a break in the heat for a couple of days with cloudy skies and some rain, which gave us a high today of 75 degrees at 8:45 this morning, an unusual time to mark the day's highest temperature. Tomorrow looks to be even a bit cooler, but temperatures will soon climb to the mid-80s again, and an over-all hot summer has been predicted, so make sure you keep yourself feeling well and healthy by cooling off a bit when the mercury rises, and be sure to drink an extra glass or two of water over the course of each warm day.

Taking in a movie is a great way to get out of the heat for a couple of hours. It's nice and cool in the Waters Edge Cinema,. at 237 Commercial Street, on the second floor of the Whalers Wharf. Besides two other films showing this week you'll find 20 Feet From Stardom playing for an extended run. This is the film that ran away with the Audience Award at this year's Provincetown International Film Festival a few weeks ago. Read my July 9th post about this terrific movie, watch the trailer for 20 FEET TO STARDOM, and check the blurb on the right-hand side of this page to find the updated schedule for the coming week, through July 18th.

One way or another, find a way to cool off and enjoy the exceptionally warm days ahead.

West End Racing Club Teaches PTown Kids and Visitors to Swim and Sail Safely

Kids splashing in the harbor at the West End Racing Club

For about 60 years the West End Racing Club has offered kids from 8 to 16 years of age the chance, and the place, to learn to swim and sail.
When a bunch of kids, all aspiring sailors, began regularly turning up on "Flyer's Beach"
in 1950, a group of parents soon realized the need for not only more sailboats to accommodate the growing number of young sailors, but also for a real club house where they could gather.
Local painters and sculptors were tapped to provide artwork as prizes for raffles that would eventually raise the money to buy the waterfront property at 87 Commercial Street. Boat kits were purchased and fathers of some of the children spent a couple of winters building small sailboats called "weasels" as construction was begun on the club house.
A non-profit organization was formed with the goal of providing Provincetown kids "an opportunity to learn how to sail and enrich their lives with nautical knowledge and experience." Soon five "Blue Jays" were built to augment the fleet of small sailboats available to the kids. "Flyer" Santos and many others were instrumental in starting and running the organization.
Richard Santos became the first beach counselor, establishing regular hours at the new West End Racing Club, living up to its name as races were held several days out of the week, as allowed by the weather and the tides. To participate, kids have to first be able to swim, and that is sometimes the first skill that has to be mastered. Knot tying is also an essential skill kids will learn in the summer program, and kids who are visiting Provincetown during the summer are welcome to join in as well. A registration fee is collected, giving kids access to instruction and the use of equipment for the entire summer season.
Most of the boats used here these days are Sunfish, with very colorful sails, and it is a great sight to see these young sailors zipping back and forth, navigating around each other out in the harbor. Kids are paired two to a boat, and can often learn as much from each other while they are sailing as they learn from their instructors. So when you are assaulted on the street by a group of bubbly, excited kids selling raffle tickets, or when you walk by the old Firehouse near Town Hall and find it is the Racing Club's turn in the booth, fork over a few bucks for a couple of raffle tickets. You may win a nice dinner in a PTown restaurant, or a piece of work by a Provincetown artist, or any number of other possible prizes, and at the very least you'll be helping our kids to continue a great Provincetown tradition while learning to swim and sail safely. Get yourself a West End Racing Club Tee-shirt, and proudly wear a very cool symbol of your support for the youth of Provincetown. 

Tall Ship Kalmar Nyckel Sails PTown Harbor and Beyond

Photo from the Kalmar Nyckel website

The tall ship you've seen tied up at the far end of MacMillan Pier is the Kalmar Nyckel, based in Wilmington, Delaware, and it comes to Provincetown for about two weeks every summer, taking passengers on an amazing sailing trip around Provincetown Harbor and out beyond Long Point, into Cape Cod Bay. It is a replica of the original Kalmar Nickle, a three-masted, 200 metric ton square-rigged Dutch Pinnace built in 1625. She was the pride of Sweden, making more North Atlantic crossings between Europe and the New World than any other ship of her day, totaling four round trips in all. She brought European settlers to the Delaware Valley in 1638, where they established the Colony of New Sweden, their first permanent settlement, in the area that is now known as Wilmington, Delaware. The ship also served as a merchant ship, a war ship, and was even a pirate ship for a time during its thirty years on the water.
The present-day Kalmar Nyckel was modeled after the original with great attention to detail, and is kept in immaculate condition by a different crew of volunteers every few weeks, with only a handful of actual crew members, including a captain and first and second mates. Volunteers are put through an extensive training course over the winter, spending eleven consecutive Saturdays learning to rig the ship and to carry out the commands of the captain. The ship is owned and operated by the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission to preserve the heritage of the early colonists who made that crossing of the Atlantic from Europe to the New World over the winter of 1637-1638, and it is considered a sort of seagoing ambassador for the State of Delaware.
The ship sails to a number of deep-water ports along the East Coast every summer, with a different crew of volunteers signed on for the sail to nearly every port of call, and living on-board while in port providing daily sails for passengers in each town. I took the sunset sail from Provincetown Harbor a few years ago, and it was truly delightful. Passengers who wish to get the feeling of hoisting sails and doing some of the other work of sailing the ship are invited to take a brief course on-board during their cruise, learning critical commands that must be carried out precisely in a team effort to raise and adjust various sails during each trip. Others will sit out of harm's way, watching their fellow passengers and the ship's volunteer crew carry on the physical work of sailing the ship.
The Kalmar Nyckel departs from the far end of MacMillan Pier on a three-hour sail at 10 AM and at 3 PM daily through Saturday, August 4th. Cold drinks and light snacks are available on-board, or you can bring a sack lunch as long as any containers are disposable. No glass containers or coolers are allowed. You'll want to bring along a light jacket or windbreaker, perhaps a hat and sunblock, and definitely your camera. Be at the pier twenty minutes prior to departure time to board the ship. Call 302 429-7447 for reservations or more info, or just stroll down to the pier for a look at this beautiful ship, and get information while you are there. This trip is a bit pricey at $60, $40 for ages 17 and under, but worth the money. There are just a few days left  this summer to take advantage of this rare opportunity to experience a bit of the seventeenth century aboard this remarkable ship.