By Frank D. Roylance , frank.roylance@baltsun.com|May 28, 2009
The captain and crew of Maryland's Pride of Baltimore II are turning to technology to tackle a centuries-old problem: how to keep the tall-masted clipper cruising comfortably when sails are unfurled and winds kick up.
Seafarers say the challenge has grown more acute as masters and mates move from ship to ship with the seasons, producing new skippers who may not know enough about the conditions that could tilt the decks of classic vessels to uncomfortable, or even dangerous, angles.
"If you take a schooner sailor and put him on a square-rigger, the learning curve could be months," said Jan C. Miles, captain of the Pride II since its launch in 1988. "There is a great deal of experimentation going on while carrying passengers."
On the Pride II, those passengers are likely to be corporate executives or government officials who might not tolerate splashing waves or sharp heeling.
So the Baltimore-based ship has been gathering data during its recent routine sails, with the goal of producing a quick-glance reference guide that will help the captain and crew keep the Pride II ship-shape in all conditions.
It is a particularly poignant role for a ship that was built to replace the original Pride of Baltimore, which was blown down in a sudden Atlantic squall in 1986 while en route home from a European goodwill tour. Four crew members perished, including the captain.
In an unusual mash-up of 18th-century sailing technology with 21st-century computer analysis, the Pride II has been wired for a leading role in the effort to develop guidelines for ships' officers.
Miles is working on the project, teaming up with Maryland naval architects Bruce Johnson and John Womack.
They began by fitting the Pride II with mast-mounted wind sensors, and below-decks motion sensors, all wired to the ship's GPS equipment and an onboard computer.
The data-gathering began on a 2004-2005 cruise to Europe, and has continued with new generations of electronics and increasingly sophisticated software.
Supported with about $30,000 from the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, the work has so far yielded a wealth of performance information.
The project is outlining the conditions that produce comfortable sailing. For casual voyages, Miles prefers that the deck not tilt more than 8 degrees from horizontal.
For a trip with sailing enthusiasts wearing rubber-soled shoes and "out for a thrill," he said, he might set enough sail to produce a 10-to-12-degree deck angle.
