Sailing on Old Traditional Sail Boats

This might be close to what you have in mind:

http://www.square-sail.com

You could stow away on the Nina reproduction... http://www.thenina.com/schedule.htm

Google Windjammer Cruises.

The Elissa in Galveston, http://www.galvestonhistory.org/Texas_Seaport_Museum.asp was doing cruises, but I heard she was no longer safe to sail. That may have been the one you heard about.

Define "traditional." Multihulled craft are over 3,000 years old

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/

yep
http://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures/?g2_itemId=22721

I spent 6 days on a square rigger, (5500 sq ft sail) in the Whitsunday's (Australia) several years ago. It was older than the Titanic. You could work as much or as little as you wanted, though for insurance reasons only the full time crew were allowed up in the rigging, (no safety harnesses were used). The boat goes out of Arlie Beach, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Google Solway Lass, or as the Capt called it The Sideways Lass, upwind performance was nil on these boats, hence the route down to the Azores to pick up the trade winds to N America from Europe.
http://www.australiantallships.com/solwaylass.php?wp=27
It is unlike anything you have ever sailed before. Took over an hour to get the rags up, & you soon find out where the term "learn the ropes" comes from. There seemed to be dozens of lines for sail handling alone. There were no cleats, lines were wrapped around pintle pins dropped though holes along the gunnels, blocks were wooden. The mainsails were always raised, & pulled into the mast & tied when not in use, the crew would kick footholds in the canvas & climb to the yardarms. To deploy, the sail was pulled out along the boom, as opposed to our more common method of raising it up the mast.. The upper sails were dropped from yardarms, but before that could happen crew had to scale the rigging, & untie lines that kept them from flogging.
I got to know the Capt & F/O pretty well. One day, under full sail, they developed some problem with pumps that required them below decks. The Capt gave me a 20 second checkout on the wheel, pointed out two reefs on the chart & left, for 45 minutes, saying, "You sail, you're a Capt on a jet, this should be easy. There's a GPS below the wheelhouse if you need it. Watch the current by that first reef, & mind the helm, she's slow to respond."
The currents around there were nuts, running hard enough to create standing waves...those guys had way more confidence in my ability than i did.
It really was an eye opener, just how much maintenance was involved in keeping that kind of boat operational, & how much more was setting sail, compared to our Bermuda rigs.. If you happen to be upside down in Oz, I highly recommend the Lass.

Edited by Edchris177 on Aug 17, 2011 - 08:33 PM.

Columbus would have sailed a beachcat if he could find crew that could work the spin correctly!

That is the end of Andrew...his 2000th post, Y2K is real, he will now disappear into the ether:lol:

delaunhe wrote: I have searched Google for hours and I am unable to find what I am looking for. I seen several years ago on TV a very large traditional sail boat....Like Columbus used to sail.......that charged people X amount of dollars to crew on it for a week. I would love the chance to work / sail on one of these types of boats. We are talking about all wood......with square sails......and you have to do everything by hand....there is no motor. Does anyone out know where this can be done?

Can't help you, but you get the Avatar of the Month award.

he will now disappear

not likely

It was meant as a joke Andrew:-D