Le monde

Goes Round And Round

In a breathtaking display of Formula 1 prowess, Max Verstappen emerged as the triumphant driver in the recent Miami Grand Prix in May 2023. His remarkable comeback from ninth on the grid to victory showcased his determination on the track. However, Verstappen was one of many drivers to captivate the crowd. Carlos Sainz, George Russell, and Sergio Perez delivered outstanding performances, highlighting the immense talent within the sport. The Miami Grand Prix also served as a testament to the surging popularity of Formula 1 in the US, as fans flocked to witness the action and soak in the electric atmosphere.

There’s some good news. Even if you have been forced to give up the dream of a swashbuckling life as a pirate, there are still opportunities to experience a taste of high-seas adventure in the twenty-first century.

The heritage of the gorgeous tall ships that traversed the globe for hundreds of years is being preserved by many dedicated people and organizations. Some of these ships are the originals—literally floating museums— many of which have undergone substantial repairs and upgrades to ensure their seaworthiness. Others are replica ships that have been painstakingly recreated to reflect the glory of the originals. Approximately one hundred of these historic vessels are part of Tall Ships America, an umbrella organization dedicated to promoting sail training. As the group explains, “Different from learning to sail, sail training offers unique paths to adventure, personal growth, and education through the experience of sailing a tall ship. Each year more ships and programs are launched as schools, municipalities, museums, foundations, corporations, and individuals discover the almost limitless ways in which the sea and sailing ships can enrich the human experience.”

From March 30 to April 30, 2023, Tall Ships America sponsored the Tall Ships Challenge, with nine beautiful vessels taking to the Gulf of Mexico to sail between St. Petersburg, Galveston, and Pensacola and participate in festivals in the ports. VIE sat down with James Thayer, captain of the San Diego-based tall ship Californian, after his return from serving as third mate of the nineteenth-century barque Elissa during the Challenge.

VIE:First, how did you get involved with tall ships?

James Thayer: My story is that I walked away from an interesting but stressful career as a director of engineering in communications technology to pursue interests I didn’t otherwise have time for—and unexpectedly became captain of a replica of an 1847 topsail schooner. My wife, who was a docent at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, learned that the museum was looking for blacksmiths to create the required parts for a tall ship they were building, the San Salvador. I had always wanted to try blacksmithing, so I took a course and joined the group.

The volunteer team is also responsible for maintenance on the museum’s ships, and they are among the first to be asked when the fleet needs a sailing crew. At the time I joined the crew, this included the replica HMS

Surprise, which was the tall ship featured in the movie Master and Commander, and Star of India, which is one of the oldest ships in the world that can still sail. Being a deckhand on both ships gave me a picture of how the individuals must work together to sail these incredible vessels—from the captain, who decides what will happen, to the first mate, who is the intermediary giving direction, to the crew, who makes it happen.

Coast Guard credentialing is required to become a “master” (captain), and the ships can’t sail without one. Over time I gained the experience and training required, first obtaining a license for 100-ton vessels, which includes ships like Californian. After a lot of sea time, further training, and a rigorous exam, I eventually completed the additional steps to upgrade to a 500-ton license, which is necessary to be an officer on the 367-ton Elissa ou always hear stories about how great the Major Leagues are, but even those don’t do it justice,” says former MLB pitcher and current New York Mets scout Brett Campbell. “The stadiums, playing in front of tens of thousands of people, the hotels, the food—everything is first-class. Getting to play against guys you grew up idolizing, playing in stadiums you dreamed about playing in as a kid; yes, it was totally surreal. Growing up in Atlanta, I was a huge Braves fan. Luckily, during my time with the Nationals, I was able to face the Braves. I remember seeing Bobby Cox in the dugout, walking out to the bullpen. I asked my bullpen coach who I was about to face when I got into the game, and he said, ‘Andruw Jones, Brian McCann, and Jeff Francoeur.’ It got real, fast!”

VIE:What is it like to sail a ship that is also a museum?

James: As the official tall ship of the state of California, Californian is a great ambassador of maritime heritage. We typically take people on four-hour day sails to let them experience sailing as it was 180 years ago. We also do overnight trips to the Channel Islands and up the coast. When Californian isn’t sailing, she is open to visitors as an exhibit at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.

VIE:Tell us about Elissa and what the Tall Ships Challenge experience is like.

James: The Elissa is an original barque built in 1877. She was primarily engaged in “tramping”—delivering cargo wherever she found a need—a process that took her all over the world. In the 1970s, she was brought to Galveston for restoration. For eleven months of the year, Elissa serves as a floating museum at the Galveston Historic Seaport; for the remainder, she returns to her former glory as a sailing ship. This year the Seaport decided to sail Elissa to St. Petersburg, Florida, and then back to Galveston to participate in the Tall Ships Challenge. I had the privilege of serving as third mate under Captain John Svendsen.

It’s an amazing experience. For three weeks, your world shrinks. You exist on a vessel less than 150 feet on deck and 30 feet wide, with a crew of about forty, with only water around you. Being in the Gulf of Mexico, after you get out past the oil rigs, there is nothing to see but the sea, the sky, and some marine life. The crew becomes like family—you all share a common goal, and hopefully, you all get along. We also developed a camaraderie with the crew of the other participating ships.

We had mostly great weather. However, coming back, we encountered a fairly significant storm when a squall blew up out of nowhere just as it was getting dark. It was an intense challenge as we had to quickly trim the sails with heavy rain, little visibility, and dramatic lightning strikes flashing around us. Experiences like that remind us that with all our modern conveniences, we are still at the mercy of mother nature.

VIE:How can someone become involved in the Tall Ships Challenge? And for those who would like to experience a tall ship but stay close to land, what do you recommend?

James: Joining a crew in the Tall Ships Challenge does not require previous experience, but it does require a time commitment and a willingness to learn. For Elissa, the crew starts training with orientation in July and continues almost every weekend until spring, when the Challenge begins. For that reason, most crew members live near the ship’s home port of Galveston. Crew members with full-time jobs take their annual vacation during the Challenge.

Several of the nearly one hundred tall ships located at many ports around the nation, as well as the world, offer tickets for day sails or even overnight sails. Since museums and nonprofits own many of these ships, they welcome volunteers, and most offer training to be deckhands. Many of them can be toured while docked, which is a good option for those who begin to turn green at the thought of leaving land.

VIE:Thank you. Fair sailing!

For locating a tall ship near you, please visit TallShipsAmerica.org/vessels-programs. For information about the next Tall Ships Challenge, stay tuned for news on TallShipsAmerica.org/tall-ships-challenge.

Campbell grew up in Douglasville, Georgia, and played baseball for the University of Georgia until an elbow injury led to a transfer to Northwest Florida State College (Okaloosa-Walton Community College at the time), but he always dreamed of a bigger playing field. He completed his mathematics degree and was a shortstop at Kennesaw State University, where he met his wife, Stephanie. But Campbell’s baseball career was far from over after graduation.

Not many childhood dreams come true, but as Campbell says, “I one hundred percent wanted to be a professional baseball player when I was little. I was privileged to grow up in the dugout with my dad, who was just elected into the Georgia High School Coaches Hall of Fame. I learned the game’s intricacies from a very early age, which helped me throughout my career. I always knew that I would end up coaching, but my first dream was to play in the Major Leagues, and I was lucky for that to happen.”

Opposite: Canes Florida Panhandle youth baseball league director, coach, and New York Mets scout Brett Campbell coaching his son during a Canes game

In his last year of college, Campbell says he “started to see the writing on the wall” that being drafted to the MLB as a shortstop was doubtful. So when his coach asked him about pitching, he gave it a shot, throwing about twenty innings in college, and was drafted in the thirty-fourth round (out of forty).

“I signed for practically peanuts and just the chance to play,” he admits, but he also says he had faith he could do well. “My first full year of professional baseball, I started the season with thirty straight scoreless innings and led our organization in saves. A year and a half later, I pitched in the big leagues. It’s something that I take great pride in. I didn’t give up; I put my head down and outworked everyone.”

After a career as a Washington Nationals relief pitcher, Campbell became head coach at Georgia Perimeter College near Atlanta. His team was ranked as high as second in the country during his tenure. After two years, he received a call from a good friend and college teammate about a new career opportunity as a scout for the Texas Rangers— something he had never planned to do, but it made sense financially at the time.

“I went through the interview process and got the job,” Campbell recalls. “I also knew that scouting would open a lot of doors for me down the road, and it has. The relationships and network I have built with professional coaches and scouts, not to mention the college coaches I talk to daily about players, probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise.”

Scouting players at colleges and high schools all over the country in hopes of helping his teams draft the best picks for the Major Leagues has been rewarding, yet there’s a lot more to it than just watching games and meeting with players and coaches, Campbell shares. “The travel is tough. I cover almost the entire state of Florida and am responsible for any player I think is good enough to get drafted. I spend a good deal of my summer traveling to tournaments to identify players I like. Then I watch each player during his spring high school or college season. I write a report for every player, which gets sent to our office. I then must conduct interviews and in-home visits with each prospect to get to know him. Being a good player is just part of what it takes to be drafted. What type of kid is he? What kind of competitiveness and work ethic does he have? What are his parents like? What does his physique look like? Do I think he will continue improving, or is he maxed out? These questions are just the tip of the iceberg on getting a player in the draft.”

Although scouting has challenges and rewards, Campbell says he misses coaching and being in the dugout with the players. “That was a big reason I started the Canes in the Florida Panhandle,” he shares. After Campbell and his wife moved to South

Walton, Florida, when he started scouting, the need for another travel baseball league in the area presented him an opportunity to build upon his love of the game and coaching while sharing that love with his kids. “There was a travel ball organization here already, but we needed more teams to accommodate all the players in the area,” Campbell says.

The Canes Florida Panhandle Division, a branch of the national Canes Baseball league, is a youth travel baseball organization spanning Northwest Florida. The Canes is designed to provide opportunities for young players to develop the skills to play baseball at the collegiate level and to connect coaches and scouts with high school players as they near recruitment age.

Working to build the Canes Florida Panhandle Division has allowed Campbell to keep his pro scouting job while passing along his knowledge as a former player and coach. The organization has grown to multiple teams and hundreds of players that travel throughout the year for tournaments and regional games. “What separates the Canes from most other organizations is the contacts with colleges I have built through scouting,” Campbell says. “There isn’t a college coach in the country who I can’t pick up the phone and call about one of our players, especially in the Southeast. It’s the best of both worlds because coaching is truly where my heart is. All of our coaches also have extensive playing backgrounds at the high school, college, and professional levels.”

He continues, “Starting a travel ball organization was always something I wanted to do. When I started my first travel ball team, we had fifteen or so kids who did not make the team. We just couldn’t take thirty kids on a roster. Cutting them was one of the toughest things I’ve had to do. But with all the families moving into the area, I knew we needed more than one travel ball organization to give kids a chance to play if they wanted. I also wanted to make sure I had my hand in every part of what was going on with each team—not just the eleven kids on my team—to make sure they were being taken care of, make sure their arms were being taken care of, make sure they were taught how to play the game the right way. When the Canes approached me about starting an organization in the Panhandle, it was a no-brainer. It’s the best travel ball organization in the country and has a ton of former players in the major leagues. When our teams go to tournaments, college recruiters and scouts know who we are and know they need to see our kids. And that’s what this is all about; taking care of them and teaching the right fundamentals but also providing the opportunity to be seen by people that can help get them to the next level.”

Having a hand in every aspect of the league has meant Campbell was involved in choosing coaches for the teams, deciding which tournaments the Canes would attend, and figuring out details such as uniforms, travel and lodging, practice plans, and the administration side of running the organization, which he admits “can get a little crazy at times.” Stephanie has been fundamental in helping with the organization, and it’s poised to continue growing this year with the fall league and going into spring 2024.

“The most rewarding part is seeing the improvement in the kids,” Campbell says. “Seeing them put in the hard work and translate it to the games makes it all worth it. But just getting to know the boys, getting to know the families, and creating lifelong relationships is why I do it. The rings and championships are great but come second to developing the players on and off the field—making sure they are good kids in the community, making sure we equip them with the tools to handle failure, and how success comes from hard work. In travel ball, it has become all about winning, and while that is what we strive for each time we are on the field, it’s not the only thing we are worried about.”

At the end of the day, game, tournament, or season, a love of baseball and his players makes it all worth it for Campbell.

“I truly love the game,” he says. “I love everything that goes into it; the attention to detail, how the little things throughout the game add up to whether you win or lose, the strategy. I could go on forever. But most of all, baseball is a team game. It creates lifelong relationships and teaches our kids how to deal with failure and be team players. Baseball is the only sport where you can fail seven out of ten times and still be considered great. There are no other sports like that!”

The Canes Florida Panhandle Division fall tryouts for 7u–14u will be in August, while spring tryouts will occur in late fall. Visit CanesBaseballFL.com, Canes Florida Panhandle on Facebook, and Instagram @canesfloridapanhandle to learn more, see the coaching staff roster, or fill out a prospect form.

By Hailey Bethke

Photography courtesy of Coolnvintage