I joined the crew of the Kalmar Nyckel for the trip back home in Wilmington from the Cape May/Lewes Ferry terminal.
I am a member of the volunteer crew and it was a thrill to finally sail.
The singing at the begining is the crew on the pier at the Ferry Terminal, the first song is:
Roll Down
The anchors are weighed and the sails are unfurled
ROLL DOWN
We're bound for to take you halfway round the world
WALK AROUND ME BRAVE BOYS AND ROLL DOWN
AND WE WILL ROLL DOWN
WALK AROUND ME BRAVE BOYS AND ROLL DOWN
In the white Bay of Biscay the seas will run high
These poor simple transports, they'll wish they could die
When the white coast of Africa it do appear
These poor simple transports will tremble with fear
When the Cape of Good Hope it is rounded at last
These poor simple transports will long for the past
When these great southern whales on the quarter do spout
These poor simple transports, they'll goggle and shout
And when we draw near to the New Holland strand
These poor simple transports, will long for the land
And when we set sail for old England's shore
These poor simple transports, we'll see them no more
And when we arrive on old England's shore
Those beds and these talents we'll make 'em to roar
Then sweet ladies of Plymouth, we'll pay all your rent
Go roving no more till our money's all spent. Next is:
Strike The Bell
Up on the poop deck and walking about,
There is the second mate so steady and so stout;
What he is a-thinkin' of he doesn't know himself
And we wish that he would hurry up and strike, strike the bell.
Strike the bell second mate, let us go below;
Look well to windward you can see it's gonna blow;
Look at the glass, you can see it has fell,
Oh we wish that you would hurry up and strike, strike the bell.
Down on the main deck and workin' at the pumps,
There is the larboard watch just longing for their bunks;
Look out to windward, you can see a great swell,
And we wish that you would hurry up and strike, strike the bell
CHORUS
Forward on the forecastle head and keepin' sharp lookout,
There is Johnny standin', a-longin' fer to shout,
Lights' a-burnin' bright sir and everything is well,
And he's wishin' that the second mate would strike, strike the bell.
CHORUS
Aft at the wheelhouse old Anderson stands,
Graspin' at the helm with his frostbitten hands,
Lookin' at the compass through the course is clear as hell
And he's wishin' that the second mate would strike, strike the bell.
CHORUS
Aft on the quarter deck our gallant captain stands,
Lookin' out to windward with a spyglass in his hand,
What he is a-thinkin' of we know very well,
He's thinkin' more of shortenin' sail than strikin' the bell.
CHORUS
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Traditional. Hugill lists three shore songs which have the same
tune as this pumping chantey: the Scottish tune "Ring the Bell
Watchman", the Australian tune from the shearing sheds, "Click Go
the Shears", and the Welsh air "Twill Back y Clo".
At the end of the watch (8 hours), everyone is ready to lay
below, and the last thing anyone wishes to hear is a call for all
hands.
Followed by Christopher Cross' "Sailing".
In 1986 a group of citizens in Wilmington, Delaware established the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, whose primary source of funding comes from the taxpayers of the State of Delaware along with donations from corporations and individuals to design, to build and launch a re-creation of the Kalmar Nyckel. The ship was built at a shipyard in Wilmington on the Christina river near the original 1628 Swedish settler's landing site at Fort Christina. It was launched on September 28, 1997 and commissioned on May 9, 1998. The re-creation measures 93 feet overall with a 25 foot beam, a 12 foot draft, and displaces 300 tons.
The ship is operated and maintained by a volunteer staff, under the leadership of a paid captain, boatswain, and a chief mate. In November 2006 the captain of the new Kalmar Nyckel, David W. Hiott, who skippered it for nine seasons, died suddenly, from the effects of recurring melanoma. Captain Lauren Morgens took over as Captain April 1, 2007, with Captain Sharon Litcofsky, Chief Mate/Relief Captain and Corey Young, Second Mate/Education Officer.
The Foundation is now entering into its 11th season. Volunteers maintain the ship, run the education program, and sail from port to port.
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Kalmar Nyckel Training Class #19by bully4god1,668 views
Thats a hell of a ship, very well kept.
opie652003 3 years ago