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The Maine Windjammer Association
www.sailmainecoast.com
800.807.WIND
Meg Maiden, Marketing Director
207.374.2952
Aboard Victory Chimes
www.victorychimes.com
Captain Kip Files, Captain Paul DeGaeta
800.745.5651
A Journal and Photo Documentary
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
June 12 - June 18, 2005
This is not a detailed and technically researched, travel documentary, but, rather, a mental and visual reflection of a wonderful trip.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Interviews
Interview Comments, June 14 – June 17, 2005
June 14, 2005 Interview with Captain Kip Files
June 16 – 17, 2005 Interviews with the Crew
Captain Kip Files:
Victory Chimes is the largest schooner still sailing, and it relies on Mother Nature. Today seemed like the wind was strong, but it was mainly a cold front. Even though it seems more exciting when it’s gray and cloudy, there’s really no danger. I don’t like to see my guests, on their long-planned vacations, huddled in cold and rain. June Knowles, who has been sailing with us over 40 years, has seen it all. In fact, people traveling alone, like June, are always made to feel like part of the gang. This is a great singles trip.
Today it looked like the big bridge was low, but I know it’s a 10-foot tide, and we cleared it by about 10-15 feet. This is a sturdy ship, most recently owned, before us, by Domino Pizza, and they wanted her for special cruises for the company. Paul (DeGaeta), who was my boss with corporate yachts, and I were involved in the restoration process of this ship. Tom Monahan, from Domino, had a group from Japan interested in buying her for a restaurant, so Paul and I bought her to restore her to Americana and to help her find the protection she needed.
Tomorrow, if the weather’s what we expect, we won’t leave after breakfast, but maybe before lunch, even though there are no waves in Maine. Even with 25mph winds, there’s no rocking or bounce. But, if you leave a harbor, you need to know how you can get to the next one. I’m familiar with water and grew up on a lake in Maine. My Dad and his brother had a sloop that I rode, and later I sailed a schooner like this in Newport, called Bill of Rights. I stay in shape and pass the medicals for the Coast Guard. Operating this vessel is exciting. This is a national treasure, and I’m conservative, so not to hurt it or my guests. I’ve ridden out hurricanes. You find a secluded spot behind a cliff and drop both anchors. It’s never the wind that’s an issue; it’s the sea. I’m very careful. Victory Chimes is very high, so water never comes over the sides. My crew and I can communicate without saying a word; there’s lots of communication.
The common denominator of the trip is, when people leave, they say it was the most relaxing vacation they ever had. (As it turns out, this writer did not remember what day it was, and it was only a couple of days into the trip!) People come on the boat with their schedules and want to know my plans, where we’re going. I tell them I can’t tell until that moment, and they don’t believe me. Rough weather is only exciting after the fact, not during the fact, when you’re working it, but it can be fun to talk about afterwards. You have to do everything right, no mistakes.
I have radios and hand-helds to communicate with the other ships. Maine Windjammer Association is a loose-knit group of sailors, and we do publicity and brochures together, so there’s no competition and the paperwork is centralized. There’s no mother ship or director. I’ve been the captain of 6-7 other vessels from time to time, like this one. I’m very fortunate to have a job I can enjoy every day. I walk 10 feet to work, no commute. I love these old, wooden vessels, and there are no cares, when I’m out at sea, no phones or bills to pay. These vessels won the War of 1812 for us. In the fall to the spring, I spend a lot of time at my ski lodge. Even though I still work on the ship and take reservations for the coming season, if the snow is good in the morning, “I’m going skiing today”, or, if not, “I’m working on the schooner”, or I do both in one day.
Michael (First Mate):
I was a volunteer on a ship called the Alyssa in Galveston Texas, while serving as a bomb technician for the police. Captain Files came down there to work on the ship and invited me to help with Victory Chimes, which I did in 2003, and I’m still here. I felt at home on this boat right away, like being back in my mother’s arms. Captain Files teaches you what he knows, gives you everything he has, shares what he’s collected. He and Lorraine rescued a dog from the pound, and they rescued me from Texas.
If Captain Files keeps sailing, I’ll keep sailing with him and hopefully have my own boat in a few years. Before the Texas schooner, I had no sailing experience, but this just feels natural. Everyday that I was on Alyssa, it was not like being taught, but like remembering something. My biggest challenge is trying to teach the crew to love the boat. It was easy in Galveston, because it was all volunteer. People were getting away from what they did during the week. It was their escape.
Captain Files makes all the decisions, and my job is to make sure the crew knows what to do. Galley hands are tough to keep; it’s a tough job. Deck hands are usually more familiar with the vessel. Eventually I’d like my own schooner to work with adolescents, kids who haven’t had a lot of opportunities, who need encouragement. I was a policeman in Texas, and when things get strange, sometimes, you need someone with a cool head to point you in the right direction. Two months ago, a Nor’ Easter blew through some heavy seas, but we weren’t sailing yet. My worst weather experience, while sailing, was 19 straight days of heavy fog.
Every morning, before people get up, I talk to the ship and touch her. She’s alive, a wooden vessel, and wood absorbs energy. She’s absorbed a lot of energy from people who have stepped on board. If you work with wood, it goes back, after you bend it, because it has a memory. There are two women in my life; that’s why two earrings, one for Alyssa and one for Victory Chimes. If I get another boat, there will be a third.
Pam (Steward):
Cooking in the galley and planning the menu comes from being in the restaurant business for 30 years, and I never worked in a bad restaurant. I picked up a few tricks along the way. I’ve sailed to the Caribbean, and from Maine (and then Florida) to the Virgin Islands. I lived on the coast growing up. This is my sixth summer on this ship. Before we sail, I make sure I have everything I need on board. My soups are easy, and I can add a few leftovers, if we have them. As soon as passengers board, I find out about special dietary needs; sometimes we have Atkins, sometimes veggans. The Captain is actually allergic to shellfish, so I’m making him chicken marsala and barbecued kielbasa. (It was lobster night).
I don’t have time to eat, when you do, but I taste everything. I’ll get up at 9 PM and eat granola or cheese and crackers, or I might have peanut butter. In the restaurant business, you learn to portion, per person. We store food down below, where it’s cool, plus we have big refrigerators. What are my plans after this? Whichever way the wind blows.
Goldy (Boatswain):
This is my third season. I started in the galley and helped on deck in the off time. The Boatswain is like a manager. I try to learn things all the time and take care of routine maintenance, like leaks. Even if I get someone (to fix it), it’s my responsibility. I’ve done a lot of sailing and tinkering; I learned a lot from my father. I also studied liberal arts and was geared to teaching. Sailing is a sport you start early, and, if you love it, you can put it into practical use, doing it professionally. I’d like to study adventure education and start a program for High School kids. You can get accredited and take kids out and teach them to sail. It’s a good outlet for kids with problems.
Captain Files is a wonderful captain, very revered in the sailing community, a wonderful guy. He’s patient, has a sense of humor, is easygoing, and has a strict background in sailing. So, our boat is regimented with all-night watches. That’s refreshing.
Joe (Deck Hand):
I was looking for a lifestyle change. I never sailed before, but I’m young and vibrant and wanted something exciting. I studied geography. I took a cruise on a boat to Boston and met a deck hand, who recommended Victory Chimes, and then they hired me. I like the people, the crewmates; it’s an astounding group. It’s never-ending entertainment. Everybody has something funny happening all the time.
The high ladders here are like any other ladder to me; I’ve done roping, and tying knots come with practice. Captain Files is amazing, a great teacher. I couldn’t think of a better person to work for, one on one. Plans? I’m kind of going with the flow.
Abby (Deck Hand):
This is my second season on Victory Chimes; two summers ago and this summer. I love to sail, started on lakes in Maine with my family. I wanted to try something new, so I came to the Windjammer fleet. I love the freedom of sailing. I love the crew; we have a great time together. Captain Files has been wonderful; he’s very good-natured and will always take the time to teach you something. He’s an amazing person to work with, very considerate.
The greatest challenges for me are the personal ones I set for myself, not just setting sails and climbing rigging. I love climbing the mast and fixing rigging. I just graduated from Wheaton College in MA and majored in physics. I hope to work with disadvantaged kids, but I’m taking time now and may go back for a doctorate.
Sarah (Galley Hand):
I was a full-time student at American University in Washington before this; I’m studying visual media and literature. I’ve been sailing since I was 14, including a Boy Scout vessel, and I sailed in the Caribbean. Even though it’s not my field, I know how to cook and how to sail. A lot of the pictures and film I do relate back to sailing. I love working here and meet a lot of passengers and network with them. Helping on deck is my high point. I’ve been a rig monkey (climbed to the top of the mast).
My biggest challenge is balancing my time; it’s a long day. I used to have to be in the galley at 5:30 AM, but now it’s 6:30 AM; we’re more efficient now. We finish after 8:00 PM, after dinner is cleaned. I have night watch every other day for 2 hours. Once there was a strange noise, but it was just the anchor rubbing. Captain Files is warm with the passengers and great with the crew. I admire him, because of his experience.
Becca (Galley Hand):
My boss from the restaurant I worked at knew Captain Files, and he asked him if he had any spots for a young girl, who’s a hard worker. This is something new and different, and I’m always up for something different and exciting. This is different from anything I’ve ever done. My whole family is from the Cape (MA), and I grew up on the ocean. I’ve never been on a ship before; this is all new to me. I’m pretty small, so I don’t hit my head. After this trip, I’ll go back to the Cape and then maybe South or Arizona.
Captain Files is all about seeing how other people are; he’s so much fun. He’s a good leader, knows what he wants, and goes for it. He loves to chat. My biggest challenge is being away from home and being totally disconnected.
Parker (Deck Hand): Not available during interviews.
Landon (Deck Hand):
Before I came here, I worked for the US Dept. of Homeland Security for about 3 years, aboard aircraft. It was like night and day (coming here), from military, uniforms, crew cut (Landon now has a substantial beard), shiny shoes, straight-laced, then going into a completely different atmosphere and discipline. This job is also serious and lives are at stake, but it’s not the same as government work. I’ve been aboard now 3 ½ months. I’m the new guy.
One time in May I was sanding and painting, and a Nor’ Easter blew in, and the wind blew the ship away from the dock by 4 feet. So you’d have to shimmy down the shroud and push yourself away from the porthole cover to jump onto the dock. But, the wind blew 30 mph, and it was 42 degrees, and I was in foul weather gear, orange rain outfit, rubber boots, everything rubber and slippery. My boot slipped and I penciled down the ship four feet into the water. It took a week for my boots to dry.
My biggest challenge is learning what to do and how to do it quickly; I need to see how the pieces come together. You need to experience to understand, no matter how many times you’re told; then, you need to repeat it over and over to become proficient. I’m in transition now, gave up a career, walked away to have a great experience, and, in October, I’ll figure out what’s next.
Captain Files' Refined Quarters
Captain Files' Refined Quarters
Captain Files' Refined Quarters
Captain Files' Refined Quarters
Landon, Goldy, Joe
Michael at Leisure
Abby at Work
Becca and Sarah
Parker at Leisure
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