I’m the one on the right; I almost joined this crew in Brooklyn, until I saw his ship; frankly, the accommodations aboard that boat left a lot to be desired…
Actually, he was just the first option before me* when I went looking for a ship as I suggested I might. As the USS Wasp was doing liberty call in Manhattan, we went to Brooklyn where we thought it’d be easier to go for a ship there. And truth to tell, when we saw and boarded the Cuauhtemoc and the Juan Sebastian de Elcano, we thought they would have been worth hoisting the Jolly Roger atop their mainmast.
But they were both well accompanied by the JS Shirane, the FNS Pohjanmaa and the HMCS Iroquois, two destroyers and a mine layer. And the Pohjanmaa actually took part in EU NAVFOR, which gives them recent hands-on experience that made me think twice about it.
Well, that and the fact that it’d be rude to seize a navy training vessel, cause an international incident, give Brooklyn a bad name, and that a party of five civilians against scores of naval cadets aboard either tall ship supported by the navies of three countries and the NYPD were really really bad odds…
Still, it was worth it for the tours aboard all five ships. My thanks to all seamen who were gracious in allowing us aboard, and who are still welcoming boarders through Tuesday, May 29th according to the official schedule.
Well, yeah, part of me thinks it could have been fun if we’d made an effort…
But, then again…
Thanks again for bringing the camera, Susan
* Though in all seriousness, this gentleman was there to bring attention to PortSide New York, which turned the tanker Mary A. Whalen into a cultural institution and is looking for support. If you get a chance, visit their site and see what you can do to help them find a better berth for her.
James Ryan 
Sounds like a wonderful day for you! I love exploring historic ships. In our city’s museum we have The Nonsuch, a small craft that travelled between Britain and northern Manitoba (or Rupertsland as it was known back then), carrying supplies to the settlers. When in Hawaii, we explored the Falls of Clyde, another old sailing vessel. They are fascinating. I’m not sure I’d want to travel on them, but they are fun to check out on land. Hope you got lots of good ideas for your pirate stories by checking out all those ships today. 🙂
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Well, I did get one idea: After having boarded the HMCS Iroquois, touring her decks and walking her 426 foot beam and seeing her 27 foot keel (and indeed, I can say with authority, her beam and keel are such, or so it says in the pamphlet published by the RCN that the seamen aboard her passed out to all visitors), I can pretty well say with authority that she’s not going to steam from Halifax and be stationed on Lake Erie. If I did deploy her at Port Colborne, I’d have to lop the last sixty chapters off of RED JENNY, which for some may not be a tragedy, but well…
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