In 1990, I was one of 20 high school students chosen to participate in the Marine Mammal Program, a 3-week summer course that included a week aboard the schooner The Harvey Gamage. We sailed from Boston to Bar Harbor, stopping at many ports, including Gloucester, MA, where, after watching "Captains Courageous" the night before, we visited the famous Fisherman Memorial, which has the enscription "They that go down to the sea in ships."

Watching Pirate Master has brought back a lot of memories of that week aboard the Harvey Gamage. It was hard work, hoisting sails, climbing rigging, and the like, but there's nothing like feeling the wind in your face as the sails fill and the boat cuts through the waves.

I've been active in the Society for Creative Anachronism since 1995, when I was a student at Purdue University. I began in Rivenstar Barony of the Middle Kingdom, but am about to embark on a new adventure in the Kingdom of Atlantia, as I move to the D.C. area.