Crews ride storm out, in very old-school ships

The romance of the sea has its moments. The Freedom Schooner Amistad rode out Sunday's storms 40 miles out in the ocean, "hove to" and pounded by waves, gale force winds and gusts.

The tall ship, a replica of the famous 19th century sailing ship commandeered by enslaved Africans, was supposed to make Charleston on Monday, to prepare for its role in Charleston Harbor Fest 2008 this weekend. But a sailing vessel floats on the vagaries of the deep.

Amistad was 70 miles away when the Gulf Stream began "lumping up," in the words of co-captain John Beebe-Center. Big swells started slamming one after another, pushing the ship into storm winds that were pushing back. The design of the Amistad includes a long bowsprit and beam.

"As we jokingly say, 'You can only put that under water so many times before it doesn't come back up,'" Beebe-Center said. The battered ship and crew faced headwinds to get to shore. Sailboats don't go very well into the wind, especially the old ones, as Brad Van Liew, South Carolina Maritime Heritage Foundation executive director, explained.

The crew has been out at sea for 12 months on a transatlantic voyage to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the United Kingdom in 1807 and the United States the year after that. This storm "was nastier than they've seen in quite awhile," said Beebe-Center, who has been monitoring the ship's movements from Charleston.

The crew maneuvered the Amistad into the wind, tied it down tight and stayed put. Two other tall ships on their way for the festival, the Schooner Virginia and Corwith Cramer, also had to ride out the storm in the waters between Charleston and Florida.

But all three are expected to arrive in time for the Parade of Sail at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The Schooner Virginia and Corwith Cramer will accompany the Lowcountry's own tall ship, the Spirit of South Carolina, out to Sullivan's Island to greet the Amistad and bring it into port. The ships will be open for tours at the Charleston Maritime Center throughout the festival.

The Amistad is returning to Charleston after a 2002 visit. Its heritage is one of the themes that will be woven into festival activities this weekend. Two of every five slaves brought into the United States in its Colonial days came through Charleston; many of them were brought to a quarantine station at Sullivan's Island.

"The Freedom Schooner Amistad's arrival highlights the story and it also gets some information about African-American history out to the general public," said Leila Potts-Campbell, associate director of the Avery Research Center for African-American History and Culture at the College of Charleston. The center specializes in the artifacts and experiences from black history in America.

"I don't think a lot of people realize slavery lasted a very long time here in Charleston, well over 200 years, and actually we had been slaves longer than we have been free."

Reach Bo Petersen at bpetersen@postandcourier.com or 745-5852.