Silkies on the Kalmar Nykle

[Silkie McDonough]

Okay ...I tried again, this close-up doesn't have breasts.

[Silkie McDonough]

May 9, 1998, the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation celebrated the Commissioning of our ship.

Friday we celebrate again.

[Black Hearted Pearl]

Have fun celebrating. Please take more pictures!

[Silkie McDonough]

Oh...

I did,

Adding the Fighting Top to the Mast

Class of 08' First Furling

Class of 08' First Sail

[Matusalem]

[Black Hearted Pearl]

I know. I bookmarked your photos and have been checking for updates weekly.

[Cutthroat Kate]

Ahoy, Silkie. This is Cutthroat Kate. Aye, I'm still very busy in New Jersey. But I wanted to congratulate you on joining our Kalmar Nyckel crew. The ship has a fantastic group of people to sail our fair vessel---it really is a close family! I hope we have a chance to sail together soon!

[LadyBarbossa]

LOVING the pictures, Silkie!

Lucky lass! :)

I'm excited for ya just gawking at the pictures!

Kitty cat! Ooo, there is a ship's kitty!

Eager to see more pictures in time, Silkie! And Huzzah to ye, lass! Tis a fine and glorious vessel ye be a part of.

~Lady B

[Black Hearted Pearl]

Hi Silkie,

Keep posting pictures. This has become my latest obessession. Thanks for sharing them. Say, doesn' that cat have a look on his face that says "Get off my ship"?

~BHP

[Silkie McDonough]

Yes Lagan does not like to sail. One of the reasons is that on his/its first sail the captain or bosun lifted something heavy and dropped it right beside the poor thing. So, we tie the the little one during sails. They are hoping that Lagan will learn to like it.

Toolbox the other cat (not pictured) has lived on the ship since she set sail. The crew has been trying to get another cat over the past few years but they keep disappearing. We are hoping that Lagan will remain for as many years as Toolbox.

As to photos, it is tough to take photos on a short sail because you are following commands and handling lines most of the time. When not doing that you are talking to the passengers and educating. Lon sails may allow for more photographs but I won't be taking my voyage until September.

[LadyBarbossa]

Hehehe.. cute. I'd offer a kitten, but he's black and don't want a black cat onboard ship.

And I'm NOT letting go of Magellan. Not sure how he'd react to a ship. He's been in a car many times. He panics when he doesn't have his carseat though in the car. He's gotta have that carseat.

But, very very cute about the kitties though.

Well, we do look forward to whatever pictures you are able to take, Silkie.

And celebrate mighty high today. Tis a great day to celebrate.

~Lady B

[Silkie McDonough]

Just got an email from the Kalamar Nykel's bosun ...they are currently in dry dock ...anyway ...in the email she mentions our "Reminder-Franklin Institute Pirate Field Trip" (June 10th if you care to know) and she mentions "Sound effects for the exhibition were recorded aboard the Kalmar Nyckel." Useless but interesting fact ...kind of cool too. lol

[Dorian Lasseter]

Hehehe.. cute. I'd offer a kitten, but he's black and don't want a black cat onboard ship.

Contrary to popular (modern and during parts of the dark ages) belief, A black cat aboard ship would be considered good luck...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship's_cat

Aye, tis a wiki search, and not always right, but the whole bunch of things here are great...

It's amazing how many of the cats pictured are black...

And more info...

http://www.kinrossfolds.com/cattery/superstition.html

[Dorian Lasseter]

Where's the next installment?

I would think we missed some...

[Silkie McDonough]

I have missed much! I was suffering with hip pain the last time she was in port then she was away for a while. She is back in Wilmington again and I am scheduled for some sails. I am scheduled for a sail on Sunday but I am thinking of going tomorrow for two sails rather than Sunday for one ...course I could go for a Pyrate sail on Saturday instead ...but I have plans for Saturday. She is in Wilmington DE until July 10. Then in Lewis Ferry DE from then until August 15. I should be able to make a sail or two in July. It is an event light month. ...too bad lewis Ferry is further away. Oh well ...Guess I will have to go for the entire weekend.

My voyage is set for the end of August beginning of September.

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Back from lightning srike and the old computer did not survive that one. Back up and running on a new DELL so thought I'd say congrats and envy from Bo.

[Silkie McDonough]

WOOT! I was on a sail today! It was a short river sail. One and a half hours. Turns out it was a "Pirate sail" lol Pirate sails are basically the same as any other sail for the crew but the patrons consist of more kids a kids pirate story and we wear kit (I didn't know it was a pirate sail! I had to use ships garb!). The kids have a blast. Today we had an elderly man get woozy and almost pass out but we had an EMT on the crew and a doctor passenger so things went smoothly and we had the local fire department to help set up the gangway and made light work of that task.

The emergency made us keep the patrons aboard longer because we wanted to get the person who was in distress off the ship first so we took them to the far end of the ship and continued to entertain. The majority of the crew is very good with the crowds. They really know the ship and can make that information last. When that isn't enough we throw in a shanty or two. Captain said that the passenger’s favorite thing about today's cruse was the shanty and the first 20 minuets of the cruise that we did with out the benefit of the engine. THAT is nice. Considering we are on a very narrow river. (The Christiana in Delaware) No time to take photos while setting the sails and tending the passengers.

I am hoping the next time I am on the ship I will be there for the weekend. They have 3 sails scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sundays. I hope to do 2 sails Friday and Saturday and take photos on the 3rd. Sunday I will do the early sail and head home for sleeping (I nap before working overnight). I'll let you know when and if I get what I want.

I am very excited for my voyage late August early September, from P-town (Provincetown, MA) to Vinyard Haven, MA.

Now if we could just get them to make the trip to PiP! Too bad they spend the winter doing maintenance on her.

...wonder what it would be worth to them ...I should ask the captain and bosun.

[Silkie McDonough]

I almost forgot! I got my uniform shirt. They had a ceremony and everything ...about the ceremony? Well the captain gave me my shirt. Then everyone cheered and that was it! Short and sweet. I made a speech. "Thank you." Seemed to be appropriate given the occasion.

[Red Cat Jenny]

Someone needs to write a shanty

Sing a song of sailing Silkie!!!

Congratulations

[Black Hearted Pearl]

I'll take what I can get. Keep up with sails and stories, Lass.

[Silkie McDonough]

          NEWS  RELEASE

               

        WILMINGTON, Del., July 8, 2008

    Lauren Morgens, has been named Captain and Master of the Kalmar Nyckel, the tall ship of Delaware, Kalmar Nyckel Foundation (KNF) Executive Director Marcia Ferranto announced today.  Captain Morgens had been Interim Captain since April 2007, following the death of Captain David W. Hiott IV, captain of the Kalmar Nyckel since its launch in 1997.

    “Capt. Morgens has earned the full confidence and respect of the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation’s Board of Trustees and of all the students and adults who have sailed with her on the Kalmar Nyckel,” Ms. Ferranto said.  “Capt. Morgens will now take the lead of Delaware’s seagoing ambassador as it continues to preserve and promote the state’s unique maritime history and multi-cultural legacy.”

    “Capt. Morgens is a rarity in the world of tall ships,” Ms. Ferranto said.  “While possessing the special combination of the experience, energy, and command skills required to take a 17th Century square rigger to sea, she also has a strong passion for the role she will be filling in educating Delaware’s children, adults, communities, and visitors.  She will bring Delaware’s history alive for all those who board the ship.”

    “I am thrilled and honored to have been named Captain and Master of the Kalmar Nyckel,” said Capt. Morgens.  “I thank the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation for this opportunity and the trust they have placed in me for this command.  I look forward to working with the crew, the students, our communities and those who visit Delaware.”

    In addition to commanding the vessel while at sea, Capt. Morgens is responsible for the overall seaworthiness, safety, and the compliance of the ship with Coast Guard regulations.  She also oversees her officers and crew in all aspects of a ship’s life – from coordinating recruitment and training of the 300 volunteers who make up the majority of the ship’s crew, to overseeing the ship’s maintenance, and engaging with the public at external events throughout the year.

    Capt. Morgens also will play a leadership role in KNF’s efforts to implement its new strategic plan, aimed at developing a curriculum for elementary-school education, linking social studies and ecology.                     

    The Kalmar Nyckel is unique. There aren’t many working 17th Century square riggers that exist. “The majority of modern tall ships represent technology from the 19th and early 20th centuries,” Capt. Morgens explained.  “But the Kalmar Nyckel’s design is more than 200 years older than that, making her complicated and full of idiosyncrasies that disappeared in ships built during the next the 250 years of sail innovation.”

    “And unlike many others of our period, she’s not a ‘museum ship’, leaving port a few times a year,” Capt. Morgens said.    “Rather, the Kalmar Nyckel maintains a rigorous sailing schedule so that we can accommodate the many adults and children who come aboard to have a true sailing experience while learning about the history of Delaware.”

    The ship is scheduled for 10 major voyages this year – from ports as close as Lewes to those as distant as  Norfolk, VA and Cape Cod, MA.  Each voyage requires a crew of at least 15, including many experienced volunteer crew members.  Capt. Morgens is also responsible this year for 220 shorter public day-sails and classroom education sails from April through November.

    The Chief Mate and Relief Captain of the Kalmar Nyckel is Sharon Litcofsky, who has been employed on the Kalmar Nyckel for five years; and the 2nd mate is Corey Young, who recently became licensed as a 200-ton inland Master/ 200-ton near coastal Mate. “All three officers are capable of captaining the ship, a very important safety consideration for any vessel,” Ms. Ferranto noted.

    “We didn’t set out to have an all-woman leadership team on the Kalmar Nyckel, each officer earned her post at a different time over several years, with their selection being driven by competence not gender,” Ms. Ferranto added.

    The Kalmar Nyckel Foundation preserves and teaches Delaware’s unique maritime history and multi-cultural legacy as it relates to the economic, industrial, ecological and cultural development of the area.  The recreation of Kalmar Nyckel, a 10-year project undertaken by local volunteers, was directed by Master Builder Allen Rawl and launched in May 1997.  The recreation was made possible in large part by the vision and generosity of the Delaware General Assembly, Governor Thomas R. Carper, Tatiana Copeland and Wilmington’s Riverfront Development Corporation."

I never sailed under Captain Hiott. Captain Morgens ...okay we call her Captain Lauren ...but she is great to sail with and very patient and I am glad they have made it permanent.

Congratulations Captain Lauren Morgens!

[Black Hearted Pearl]

That is wonderful! Congratulations to Captain Lauren Morgens.

Silkie,

Thanks again for the inspiration.

~BHP

[Silkie McDonough]

I'm off to Lewis Ferry DE this weekend for a few sails. I'm hoping that this will calm any fears I have about the voyage I am to go on in a month. I haven't done much sailing and am afraid that I'll be useless on board. Wish me luck ...especially since my knee hurts.

In other news:

Our Bosun, Sharon Litcofsky AKA "Boats" is headed to Sweden to sail on the Götheborg.

The Swedish Ship Götheborg

Boats is off today to Sweden and will join the ship, and one of out full time winter deckhands "Woody" (currently employed on the ship) in the town of Lulea, which is in the far north of the Baltic (65.5 degrees--only one degree south of the Arctic Circle!) and will sail with her to...guess where? Kalmar! Big news for the Kalmar Nylel crew!

[Barnaby Wilde]

Silkie, I am soooo jealous. I would love to sail on the Nykle.

[Silkie McDonough]

They offer a weeks training every summer. how far south are ye Barnaby?