American Pride (schooner)
 The American Pride at the Dana Point Tall Ships Festival | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name: | American Pride |
| Builder: | Muller Boatworks, Brooklyn, New York |
| Launched: | 1941 |
| Homeport: | Long Beach, California |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Three-masted schooner |
| Displacement: | 200 tons |
| Length: |
|
| Beam: | 22 ft (7 m) |
| Draft: | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Capacity: | 100 |
| Notes: | Sail area is 4,900 sq ft (460 m2) |
American Pride is a three-masted schooner built in 1941 by Muller Boatworks in Brooklyn, New York. Administrated by the Children's Maritime Foundation (CMF), her home port is Long Beach, California. She is easily recognized by her bright ochre sails.
History
American Pride was originally built as a two-masted "schooner-dragger" known as Virginia and spent over 40 years as a commercial fishing vessel, operating in the Grand Banks and George's Bank. Following a complete restoration in 1986, where she acquired her third mast, she was renamed Natalie Todd and operated as a charter boat out of Bar Harbor, Maine.
American Pride was formally gifted to the Giving Center Inc. in April of 2017. The Givingcenter.org is an education based charity based out of Nevada with an ancillary mission to provide food, shelter, transportation, medical needs and other basic fundamentals to those less fortunate. It is unclear at this writing if the American Pride will be absorbed into a maritime educational program through the Giving Center or one of their other programs.
In October 1996, she was purchased by the American Heritage Maritime Institute (AHMI) and sailed to California via the Panama Canal. The administrating foundation name was changed to the Children's Maritime Foundation, a not-for-profit organization.
Mission
American Pride is used for marine science education, sail training, and living history programs. Schools and organizations from around the nation board the vessel for sailing adventures ranging from 3 hours to 5 days. In partnership with the Parks, Recreation, and Marine department of the City of Long Beach, she carries children and their families for 3 hour educational tours of Long Beach Harbor during the summer. Children's Maritime Foundation also offers 5 day summer camp programs from late June through August.
For the general public, American Pride offers scheduled whale watching and brunch cruises throughout the year in Long Beach Harbor, in addition to the Annual Buccaneer Days weekend sail in October - an adults only event to Catalina Island. American Pride was named the official Tall Ship of Long Beach in 2007.
American Pride is certified to carry 100 passengers and 6 crew for day sails and 59 passengers overnight, although she has only 38 bunks (32 passengers, 5 crew, 1 captain). During her educational programs to Catalina Island, however, bunks are typically left open as children and crew opt to sleep on deck.
Her crew members are typically trained in both sailing and marine science, usually having earned undergraduate or graduate degrees in marine biology, biology, physiology, or environmental science.
See also
References
- American Sail Training Association. Sail Tall Ships! A Directory of Sail Training and Adventure at Sea. 14th edition. Newport, RI: 2002.