H.M.S. SULTANA 

Long Cruise 2003

19-23 August 2003

Updated 03 May 2005 13:23

Sea Scout Ship 25's six-day Long Cruise for the summer of 2003 was an adventure back in time.  The current H.M.S. SULTANA is an authentic replica of His Majesty’s Schooner SULTANA, a Royal Navy revenue cutter and dispatch boat that sailed the Chesapeake Bay of the American Colonies of His Britannic Majesty King George III in the years immediately prior to the American War of Independence.  The original SULTANA was built in Boston, Massachusetts in 1767 as a merchant vessel to carry cargo to and from ports along the coast of North America.  She was sold to the Royal Navy shortly after she was completed.  The current SULTANA was launched in Chestertown, MD on March 24, 2001 having been constructed from a draught of the original SULTANA recorded by Royal Navy surveyors on June 21, 1768 at Deptford Navy Yard outside Greenwich, England.  SULTANA sails the waters of the Chesapeake Bay each year from April through November providing educational programs for over 5000 students annually. Sultana also offers land-based educational opportunities in the form of classroom outreach programs and boatbuilding courses at the Schooner Sultana Shipyard in Chestertown., MD.  For more information and photos, visit the SULTANA website at http://www.schoonersultana.com/about.htm and meet the professional crew of SULTANA at http://www.schoonersultana.com/crew.htm .

Click on any photo below to view a print-quality copy.

 

The Ship 25 Long Cruise 2003 crew:  L to R: Isaiah, Justin, Drew, Carl, Cody, Amanda, and Leah.  

Photo at Right adds the Skipper.

 

Left: Base of main mast.  Right: Hoisting the anchor.

 

Left:  Anchor nearly on deck.  Right: The anchor windlass.

 

Left and right:  Raising the anchor.

 

Left and right:  Raising the anchor.

 

Left:  One of the professional crew.  Right: Cody.

 

Left: Amanda.  Right: Baiting the hook of the fishing gear.

 

Left: A jelly fish on deck.  Right: Henry the cook helps Carl rig a throw-net.

 

Left: Isaiah with the throw net.  Right:  Amanda and Cody fishing.

 

Left:  A crab about to molt, or shed it's shell.  Right: Cody fishing.

 

Left:  The First Mate onboard "Thumper", the jolly boat, so named because when towed behind SULTANA in a following sea, she thumps against SULTANA's stern.  Right:  Carl boards the jolly boat.

 

Left: Isaiah and Carl in the jolly boat.  Right:  Justin grabs his oar.

 

Left and right:  Views of SULTANA from the jolly boat.

 

Left and right:  More views of SULTANA from the jolly boat.

 

Left:  The jolly boat crew.  Right:  Stern view of SULTANA.

 

Left and right:  More views of SULTANA from the jolly boat.

 

Left:  The jolly boat beached on Middle Hooper Island.  Right:  Leah and Justin expolore MIddle Hooper.

 

Left:  Carl and Isaiah explore Middle Hooper Island.  Right:  Carl on Middle Hooper.

 

Left and Right:  Views of SULTANA at anchor in the Honga River.

 

Left and Right:  Views of the second jolly boat crew.

 

Left and Right:  The second jolly boat crew sets out for Middle Hooper Island.

 

Left:  View of the Honga River anchorage and Middle Hooper Island in the distance.  Right:  Cody and Amanda on deck as the afternoon fades away.

 

Left:  The Second Mate holds school of the ship in navigation.  Right: Isaiah and Carl below decks preparing for the costume party.

 

Left:  Costume party on deck.  Right:  Isaiah, Cody, Amanda, Justin, and two professional crew members.

 

Left:  The First Mate teaches navigation while Drew, Carl, and Leah look on.  Right:  Justin, Carl, and Amanda watch the Second Mate plot a fix.

 

Left: Justin, Cody, Carl, and Amanda watch the Second Mate plot a fix.  Right:  Drew plots a fix while Leah is miles away.

 

Left:  Swans come to visit while SULTANA is berthed at Solomons Island Yacht Club.  Right:  A molting crab.

 

Left:  Another view of the crab.  Right:  Justin and Cody plot a course.

 

Left and right:  The crab we observed for our Bay ecology lesson.

 

Left:  Justin uses the latitude scale on the chart to measure distance.  Right:  The swans continue their patrol.

 

Left and right:  Lunch is served.  Thanks, Henry!

 

Left:  Two mates and Henry the cook sample lunch, while Isaiah and Carl look on.  Right:  SULTANA steals the show at the Solomons Island Yacht Club.

 

Left:  Another view of SULTANA at Solomons Island Yacht Club.  Right:  Underway for Georgetown, with Justin taking his trick at the helm under the watchful eye of Captain Jamie Trost.

 

Left:  Passing Calvert Cliffs.  Right:  Amanda prepares to trim a sail.

 

Left:  Leah updates her journal while Justin relaxes.  Right:  Amanda and Cody take it easy.

 

Left:  The modern world intrudes as Captain Trost calls ahead to check on berthing arrangement for SULTATA when we arrive at Georgetown.  Isaiah at the helm.  Right:  Justin at the helm with his "go fast" goggles.

 

Left:  A thunderstorm passes over the northern Chesapeake Bay as we wend our way northward to Georgetown.  Right:  Fun and games prior to arrival in port.  Carl chases Drew around the foredeck.

 

Left:  Drew thinks a cigarette boat would be a much better way to travel up the Sassafras River to Georgetown.  Right:  Leah and Justin keep a lookout for Georgetown.