A Q&A with Jessica Wurzbacher, director of the Oliver Hazard Perry
by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 30 Jan 2017
SSV Oliver Hazard Perry will sail to the Northwest Passage in 2017 as part of the University of Rhode Island’s groundbreaking ocean science research expedition Media Pro International
Spend enough time sailing, and it’s almost impossible not to fall in love with the romance of the sea and occasionally indulge in daydreams involving trade-wind conditions, tall ships, and a calling that involves way more adventure and significantly less screen time than most contemporary careers. While the days of these magnificent vessels plying the world’s oceans in great numbers have been furled and stowed in history’s sail locker, that certainly doesn’t mean that one can’t experience the adventure of a tall ship in the 21st century.
Enter the SSV
Oliver Hazard Perry, the first full-rigged, ocean-going tall ship to be built on U.S. soil in more than a century, and a working vessel that serves to teach the ancient arts of the sea to modern sailors, students and anyone else who wants to turn a historical daydream into reality.
The newly built Oliver Hazard Perry carries three masts, off of which she can fly 20 different sails (14,000 square feet of cloth), and which are supported by seven miles of rigging. One hundred and sixty belaying pins are required to control this impressive sail plan, not to mention the right instruction on how to use this traditional equipment.
Fortunately for sailing newcomers or old salts new to tall ships, the Oliver Hazard Perry has accommodation for 49, including 17 professional crewmembers and instructors, yielding an intimate classroom setting that encourages learning in a truly hands-on environment.
The Oliver Hazard Perry has a huge cruising itinerary planned for 2017, starting first with a cruise from New England waters to Florida (late January/early February, weather-depending), where she will remain until March when the crew hoists sail for the first of two round-trip voyages to the once-forbidden (for Americans) waters of Cuba. From there, she returns to Newport where she will prepare for a high latitude cruise that will see her sail to the Arctic and into the Northwest Passage on a scientific research expedition.
I caught up with Jessica Wurzbacher, executive director of the Oliver Hazard Perry, to learn more about the tall ship’s ambitious 2017 cruising itinerary.
What are the main objectives for the OHP’s winter and spring cruises to Bermuda, Florida and Cuba?
Oliver Hazard Perry has become a familiar sight on the Narragansett Bay and throughout New England over the past two summers. In Spring 2017 we will be broadening our route down the east coast of the US and setting our sights for the open ocean. While Oliver Hazard Perry is the official Sailing Educational Vessel for Rhode Island, the ship was built and licensed by the U.S Coast Guard to sail much farther afield, as an ambassador for R.I. and showcasing the products of the R.I. marine trades, while also being something all Americans can be proud of: America’s brand new Tall Ship--the largest of its kind to be built here in the last 100 years.
Will you have the same sailors onboard for the entire journey, or will it be a rotating crew?
Our 17 professional crew are all assembled now in R.I. and will all be aboard until the ship returns April 22, 2017. A minimum of 11 of our 17 professional crew will always hold USCG licenses, usually more. In addition our Medical Officer will be an EMT with wilderness medical training, so a highly skilled and trained bunch. Our trainee crew will rotate out for each program.
Can you tell me about the partnership with Ocean Navigator to teach celestial navigation? Is this aimed at generating winners of the celestial division of the Marion-Bermuda Race, or are you aiming at something different?
Ocean Navigator Magazine has been, and continues to be a close partner with OHP since the early phases of construction. The celestial course covers basic celestial theory and sight reductions, including moon, sun and stars. No experience is necessary prior to the course. The course could be a refresher for those interested in making a voyage independently in the near future and hoping to build their confidence first, or just an interesting reason to join us on our first trip to Bermuda and learn something new. We are also offering a similar course in meteorology on these Bermuda voyages.
Can you tell me about the OHP’s cruise to the Arctic later this year? What’s the itinerary and objective of the cruise?
Our voyage to the Arctic in 2017 has many dimensions. Primarily to partner with the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography and David Clark Inc. (funded by the National Science Foundation) to conduct groundbreaking research on the effects of climate change in the Arctic Regions of the Northwest Passage. There is also a prominent educational aspect to this with high school, undergraduate and graduate students joining the ship as our trainees to sail the vessel into the passage and build on leadership and communication skills, while also assisting scientists with their research. There is also a public awareness aspect through David Clark’s documentary and the live daily video feeds that will be relayed through the Inner Space Center at URI to museums. However, this is just 5 weeks of a 4 ½ month expedition. The ship will leave Newport on June 15 and return at the end of October. The other legs will be open to the public to join.
[Editor’s Note: Contact the Oliver Hazard Perry organization to learn more about berth availability.]
Has a tall ship ever sailed the Northwest Passage before, or will the OHP be the first to ply these waters?
There are a number of research vessels and sailing vessels transiting the passage each year. But I’m not sure of the last Tall Ship to sail through. Maine Maritime regularly sails up to the Arctic on their schooner Bowdoin, but not into the Northwest Passage. We believe we are the first full-rigged ship in over 100 years to sail up there, I’m not sure what the last full-rigged ship was but there was probably a lot more ice than we expect to see. We do have an Ice Pilot aboard for our entire voyage (as well as a maritime historian and polar bear safety officer), but we will not have the difficulty navigating that was presented to mariners 100 years ago up there when the ice didn’t melt each summer.
When you think of the overall program, what do you see as a higher goal—teaching people to sail tall ships, or teaching them teamwork and leadership skills? Or, is there a different Can you explain?
Our focus is on learning “from sailing” rather than learning “to sail,” so you can’t really do one without the other. We have a phrase we like to instill in our trainees ‘Ship, Shipmate, Self’. Even if sailing on a tall ship is a once in a lifetime adventure for you, the skills and lessons you will take away from working as a part of a crew to prioritize the ship’s needs, as well as fellow crew’s needs above your own will be an experience that will stick with you for the rest of your life. These voyages will be more challenging than the previous coastal voyages, which had the ship anchor or dock each night, so the seamanship skills that our professional crew will teach will be very important.
Anything else that you’d like to add, for the record?
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