Open the door and let him in.....

This weekend in the Toronto area was the annual "Doors Open" event. Various buildings were open to the public, and even better they ere open for free, including the kitchen of For York!

On hand was a city of Toronto guide, in uniform, from Fort York, as well as a Fife and Drum band.

And keeping with that theme (War of 1812), the Waterfront BIA had 15 ships docked along the waterfront. There were two tall ships on hand. The first was the Empire Sandy.

Now when you see this ship, you would be amazed to know that in fact, it was involved in WW2, and used to be a Deep Sea Tug! After being decommisioned and ready to be sold for scrap, a new owner took over and spent 5 years transferring it from a tug to a tall ship.



But I was there to see the Toronto Brigatine sail-training vessel (STV) Pathfinder. And the reason was that this ship is going to be involved in the The Navy of 1812: Sailors on the Lakes at Niagara on the Lake on July 14 and 15, 2012. She is a very nice looking ship, with lots of sails, ropes, and varnished wood!

The wheel and compass of the ship.

one of the main mast,and the various spars that hold the many sails that power the ship.

I'm hoping that during the 1812 event that they will mount some canon for the demo, but who knows!! Here's the info on the ship: Specification Value Year Built 1963
Designer Francis A. MacLachlan
Location Built Kingston, Ontario, Canada Builder Kingston Shipyards
Hull Welded steel, 1/4″ hull plating, 1/2″ keel plating, frames every 2′
Length Overall 22m (72′) Length On Deck 20m (66′) Length Waterline 14m (45′) Beam 4.5m (15′) Freeboard 1.3m (4.3′) Draft 2.5m (8′)
Registered Tonnage 31.63 tons
Displacement 50 tons Ballast 12 tons
Foremast Height 16m (52′) Mainmast Height 16.5m (54′)
Sail Area Over 250m2 (2,600 sq. ft.)
Sails (Sails in bold are standard press) Jiptop, Jib, Foresail, Forecourse, Foretopsail, 2 Forecourse Studding Sails, 2 Foretopsail Studding Sails, Fisherman Staysail, Main Staysail, Mainsail, Main Gaff Topsail, Spritsail Hull
Speed 8.2 knots (15.3 km/hr or 9.4 mi/hr)
Cruising Speed (under sail) 4-8 knots (7.5-14.9 km/hr or 4.6-9.2 mi/hr)
Cruising Speed (under power) 7 knots (13.1 km/hr or 8.1 mi/hr) Water Tank 1200 litre (300 gal US) Waste Tank 800 litre (200 gal US)
Fuel Tank 1800 litre (450 gal US)
Engine Volvo TAMD41-H Engine Power 110 kW (150 hp) at 3000 rpm
Complement Total 28:
1 Captain
1 First Mate
3 Watch Officers
1 Bosun
1 Cook
3 Petty Officers
18 Trainees