Like
the oceans themselves, Americas' Sail wasn't born it evolved
over time. It began in 1986 as the Four Sisters Project,
which referred to the four "sister ships," GLORIA,
GUAYAS, CUAUHTEMOC, SIMON BOLIVAR; an idea conceived by
Frank O. Braynard, one of the founders of Operation Sail.
The idea was to initiate regularly scheduled international
tall ship races in the Western Hemisphere. The magnificent
Americas' Sail gold trophy was originally created for
this project by prominent Long Island sculptor Anthony
Fabbricante. Mr. Fabbricante and his wife, Dulcie, also
began working on the organization of the race. They were
soon joined by Rev. William F. Wendler, whose life long
interest in ships and the sea resulted in his volunteering
his services. These four founders quickly saw the need
to expand the participation first to all ships in the
Western Hemisphere and then to the international community
as well and AMERICAS' SAIL was born. The unique plural
possessive form symbolizes the fact that Americas' Sail
belongs to all the nations of the Western Hemisphere.
It is their opportunity to host the international maritime
community at regularly scheduled events in their own waters.
Americas' Sail belongs to everyone!
Americas'
Sail was officially incorporated on September 10, 1992
in the old whaling community of Hudson, New York. A twenty
member Board of Directors was formed, which included prominent
members of the political and maritime community representing
the United States, Canada, Colombia and The Netherlands.
Currently, Americas' Sail has directors and regional representatives
in many parts of the world. It's headquarters is located
in the waterfront community of Glen Cove, New York.
The
inaugural Americas' Sail event was held in 1995 and was
a great success with twenty-three ships participating.
Host ports were Norfolk, Virginia; Greenport, Oyster Bay
and Sag Harbor, New York; and New Haven, Connecticut.
The "Parade of tall ships," which Americas'
Sail brought to New Haven, was a highlight of the 1995
Special Olympic Games. The Americas' Sail Trophy was presented
to Venezuela's SIMON BOLIVAR and sailed with her on all
her voyages.
The
second Americas' Sail race took place in 1998, visiting
Savannah, Georgia and Greenport and Glen Cove, New York.
Twenty-one ships participated. The Americas' Sail class
"A" gold trophy was won by Argentina's LIBERTAD.
The new class "B" silver trophy was won by the
schooner GOOD FORTUNE from Edgartown, Massachusetts.
In
2002 the third guadrennial Americas' Sail race visited
the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Class "A"
ships raced from Curacao in the Dutch Antilles to Montego
Bay, Jamaica. The class "A" gold trophy went
to Brazils CISNE BRANCO. The class "B" silver
trophy was won by MEKA II hailing from Beaufort, North
Carolina. The new Tim Pierce Trophy for Maritime Excellence
was awarded to the Island of Curacao in recognition of
its seamanship history. The event concluded in St. Petersburg,
Florida.
Plans
are underway for Americas' Sail '06, which will begin
in South America, continue through the Caribbean and conclude
with a visit to beautiful Beaufort by the Sea in North
Carolina. Conversations are already underway with perspective
host ports for 2010.
Today,
Americas' Sail is a non-profit organization consisting
almost entirely of volunteers at every level. It pays
no salaries, fees or commissions to it directors. Its
mandate is to provide opportunities to celebrate the discipline
of modern sail training in an atmosphere of friendly inter-cultural
exchange. In addition, it seeks to bring these competitions
to smaller towns and cities, which are more representative
of life in the host countries than are the large urban
centers so often selected for tall ship events.
From
the very humble beginnings, as just an "idea"
for a single event, Americas' Sail has grown and expanded
to become a highly visible and respected member of the
tall ship community worldwide. It is committed to maintaining
its reputation for bringing friendly, well-managed events
to small and medium-sized communities who might otherwise
not have the opportunity to entertain the tall ships.
By
Rev. William Wendler
