“Boats, like Whiskey,

Are All Good.”

R.D. Culler

Music: Come Sail Away

The Tall Ships had now arrived in town

The Old-Time Schooners with the tall sails

So I quickly booked passage on one of them

I teased my spouse “Keep an eye out for whales!”

And I had selected a truly gorgeous day for a little sail

There was a marvelous breeze out on Lake Michigan

The skyline of the city I grew up in, looked spectacular

I soon wished that this little Tall Ship sail would never end

I have always loved boats, from my tiny fishing boat to huge cruise ships

And, I have never been disappointed on any voyage that I have been on

To me, any body of water is a marvelous place to take a wondrous cruise

From the vast blue oceans, to the Great Lakes, to a tranquil woodland pond

As we sailed on, and I now chatted with the crew of the old Schooner that we were on

I soon learned that they even offer week-long excursions on these marvelous Tall Ships

Sailing through the Great Lakes on one of these old work horses, would be so marvelous

Besides liking all kinds of boats, maritime history is also something that fills me with bliss

After the Civil War, these schooners began to rapidly replace square-rigged ships because schooners were faster when sailing into the wind, known as ‘beating up wind.’ A schooner’s rigging was also simpler and therefore easier for its crew to handle and maintain.

By the mid-1860s, these practical, durable schooners would become the standard for Great Lakes shipping and travel, and the comings and goings of these tall ships would soon shape both the development and the history of Great Lakes ports.

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©August 2013, Mr. Ed