a new (yet very old) kind of adventure

If I said "Niagara," you would probably think "Falls." If I said "Lake Erie," you would probably think "dang lake-effect snow." If I said "sailing," you would probably think "yacht." If I said "War of 1812," you would probably think "irrelevant history." Such have been many of my conversations of late regarding my newest hobby - volunteering on the US Brig Niagara. When I was young, I thought it was cool to be one of the few people who knew about Oliver Hazard Perry, the Battle of Lake Erie, and the Niagara. To be honest, nowadays I tend to be disappointed that no one seems to care about important stuff that happened in our nation's history. That's probably why I want to teach.

But I digress. Once upon a time America was at war with Britain because they wouldn't let us trade with France because they were preparing to be at war with Bonaparte and they didn't recognize our right to trade with whomever we want. It's called the War of 1812, sometimes "The Second Revolutionary War." In the midst of this war it became apparent that the British Navy needed to be stopped in the Great Lakes, but there was no one to do it... until Oliver Hazard Perry built a fleet out of Erie that won a really important battle that pretty much secured the American border and ultimately contributed to winning the war. The Niagara was Perry's flagship for the second half of the battle and his victory. She's kind of a big deal.

I know all of this because once upon a time, my father sailed on the Niagara as volunteer crew. After being retired off-and-on in Misery Bay, Presque Isle, for 160-odd years, she was fully rebuilt in 1988 and is now a sailing school vessel whose mission is to preserve the history of the War of 1812 in the Great Lakes as well as continue the tradition of square-rig sailing. Now I get to be part of that, because I am a member of the Flagship Niagara League, and I am now both a trainee and a maintenance volunteer for the rest of the winter.

I have made a few observations in my five week tenure as a Saturday maintenance trainee. For instance, keeping a ship in safe sailing shape is a heckalot of work, and most of it involves sanding and paint. I can't wait to graduate to tar and rope. Also, although I really do look forward to sailing in the summer, it is going to be a lot of work. I had intended to journal while I sailed, but it seems less and less credible to assume that I will have the time to do so. Also, the two-hour commute is surprisingly worth it every time.

Most of all, I believe that this experience will be an adventure the likes of which most of you have only read about (if that). It has been the story of my life to read about these sorts of things and spend very little time trying to find a way to do them, and yet here I am, tarring rope and painting yardarms. Maybe my new - yet ancient - adventure can inspire others to take part in the Niagara's mission, or even Nike's: just do it.

Updates (hopefully) to follow in the coming weeks.