Welcome Home, Our Pride

Sixty-two ports, two oceans and some 37,000 miles after leaving the Chesapeake Bay last fall, the Pride of Baltimore II is home again. The stately replica of the famed Baltimore clipper ships of the early 19th century has completed its fifth mission carrying the message of Maryland business and the Port of Baltimore from the Baltic and Black Seas to Hawaii and Alaska. The time has come again for the state's most effective international ambassador to renew its emotional bond with the people who helped build her.

For the tens of thousands of sailors in Chesapeake country there can be few more enchanting sights than the topsail schooner, her saluting cannons booming, cutting through the water under full sail, as she did in returning to Baltimore's Inner Harbor yesterday. They will have the chance during the spring and fall, as the Pride II visits as many Maryland harbors as will accommodate her 12 1/2 -foot draft. During the summer she will sail north, to Philadelphia, New York and New England, returning with the autumn winds for more port visits along the shores of Chesapeake Bay.

It's ironic that while the Pride II is doing its best work for Maryland, as a remarkably effective vehicle for advertising the state's business opportunities and appeal to tourists, it is out of sight and somewhat out of mind here. Without the emotional surge of contributions -- pennies as well as hefty checks -- from school children and other citizens that followed the tragic sinking of the first Pride in 1986, there would have been no Pride II.

It's time to get reacquainted again. The Pride II can only be fully appreciated by Marylanders who love to sail under full canvas, on a broad reach with a stiff wind, preferably in blue water. But she is a thing of beauty -- a seagoing greyhound -- even tied up at a dock. Her young crew members are enthusiasts who sail for the love of it and enjoy sharing their lore with visitors almost as much. They will be welcome this afternoon and again tomorrow afternoon in the Inner Harbor. Those who can't come to her in Baltimore can look forward to boarding her nearer home during the spring and summer. For anyone who loves boats, it's an opportunity not to be missed.