As festival nears, excitement builds

Less than 200 yards from port, the Pride of Baltimore II fired a booming cannon from its deck Tuesday evening, saluting the city of Charleston and the newest member of the tall ship fleet, the Spirit of South Carolina.

"Fire in the hole," shouted S.C. Maritime Foundation Director Brad Van Liew before cueing the cannons from the Spirit's deck.

The Pride's cannon call was soon humbled by the Spirit's thunderous reply in which two cannons and a smaller swivel cannon sent a deafening blast into the air. The ship vibrated and the cannons lurched from their staged positions as the ringing stilled the air for several silent seconds.

The Spirit's firing crew recovered and began laughing at the large cannons now lying on deck.

"It's a safety design," Van Liew jested.

The cannon salute dates back to the British Royal Navy, when ships visiting foreign ports would fire cannons to demonstrate trust and respect. The Spirit of South Carolina will try to give the same greeting to nearly all seven tall ships visiting for the Charleston Maritime Festival this weekend.

The Pride of Baltimore II, sailing from Miami, was the second to arrive Tuesday evening, following the Gloria, a Colombian Navy sail training vessel now anchored a few hundred yards from shore. Other tall ships from India, Virginia, Canada and England are expected to arrive today and Thursday, before the ships make their way up the East Coast for a Tall Ship Challenge organized by the American Sail Training Association.

The Pride of Baltimore II, a two-masted schooner commissioned in 1988, is modeled after the Baltimore Clippers, the American "privateers" that fought in War of 1812. The name originally came from the Chasseur, nicknamed "Pride of Baltimore" for its heroic voyage to Great Britain during which it captured or sank 17 British ships. The first Pride of Baltimore vessel was hit by a squall and sank off the coast of Puerto Rico in 1986.

The Pride maneuvered its way to the maritime center's docks as ship commands echoed to shore and 10 red-shirted crew members hauled lines and moved adroitly across the deck.

For some onlookers standing close, the shots still rang through their ears, but the Spirit's crew had already forgotten the bang.

"My ears are already ruined from power tools," crew member Sam Upton joked.

Gunner's mate Brendan Fitzgerald shrugged it off, too. "It's a little ringing. A little ringing," he said. "I think I'm back to normal."

Van Liew said he is beginning to feel the energy and excitement building around the docks as the maritime weekend approaches.

"It should be a spectacular three days to celebrate maritime history," he said. "That's what it's all about, for people to remember Charleston as a port city. It's a whole piece of our history."