Canadian Crew Youngest in Fleet by Vaughn Mullen, Managing Editor

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Canadian Crew Youngest In Fleet

by Vaughn Mullen, Managing Editor

July 22nd, 2000 Halifax, N.S. - In the awarding of prizes and the announcing of winners of the Tall Ships 2000 race from Boston to Halifax the vessel with the youngest crew is Canadian.

The figurehead on the Rose, a 179-foot, square-rigged ship from the United States. The ship, seen in several big-budget movies, is one of the more popular vessels on the Halifax waterfront.

The 59-foot, steel-hulled, brigantine, St. Lawrence II from Kingston, Ontario has a crew of 28, and only two are over 18 years old - The captain and nurse.

Portland, Ontario high school student, Jeffrey Bond is a seasoned three-year veteran of St. Lawrence II. Bond says "most of the crew are from south eastern Ontario, some are from the United States and even from Nunivut" The 17 year-old is a watch officer on the tall ship.

Bond notes that St. Lawrence II joined Tall Ships 2000 in Boston. He says the experience has been "a lot of fun" and that he has "learned a lot of navigational terms" over the last several years.

The young sailor explains, with a wide grin, that St. Lawrence II was second in its class in the Tall Ships race. He adds, however, that there were only five ships in the class and three dropped out of the event. The St. Lawrence II did place 16th overall in the competition.

Watch Officer, Jeffrey Bond from Portland, Ontario on the brigantine, St. Lawrence II

A new compliment of 18 teenagers will join St. Lawrence II in Halifax this weekend. The ship will leave for the Nova Scotia ports of Lunenburg, Shelburne and Yarmouth on Monday, on the Westward Odyssey of Tall Ships 2000. The St. Lawrence II and Bluenose II, along with numerous other tall ships will be in Lunenburg, July 25th to 27th; in Shelburne July 28th to 29th; and in Yarmouth July 30th to August 1st.

St. Lawrence II offers sailing adventures for teenagers aged 13 to 18 years old on training cruises from 5 to 10 days in length. The young sailors become part of the working crew; no experience is necessary.

Meanwhile the overall winner of the Boston to Halifax leg of the Tall Ships 2000 Race was the Kaiwo Maru, a 361-foot, Class A, square-rigged ship from Japan. First to cross the finish line was the Russian, 345-foot, fully-rigged, vessel, Mir.