Sea and Soul
othing says salty like a big ol’ bowsprit, and few vessels can claim. Launched in La Havre in 1913 as a workhorse pilot cutter, she was the last boat to carry the Royal Mail under sail. Then she turned around and won the Fastnet Race, rescued 10 crewmen from a flaming schooner midocean in the Bermuda Race, and today continues to win the international Tall Ships Races. For the lucky students at Dauntsey’s School in Wiltshire, England, where has been a sail training ship since 1977, she’s a teacher of the sea and of the soul, carrying fledgling sailors across the Atlantic, the Bay of Biscay, and even beyond the Arctic Circle. Contributing Editor Tom Cunliffe fell under her spell years ago. Find his story on page 44 for more of this ship’s tale.
