The work is endless but the rewards are transcendent.
Maritime Heritage Alliance volunteer crew members work hard all year long on the nonprofit organizations' fleet of boats. They complete maintenance chores and major overhauls during the winter and fulfill a packed sailing, outreach and historical interpretation schedule from May to September.
The intense hours fade into the sublime whenever the schooner Madeline soars over the water.
"Sailing on the bay on a summer evening can't be beat," said Dave Williams of Traverse City, a volunteer crew member for the past few years. "It's a lot of fun and there's a lot of work, too."
The Maritime Heritage Alliance kicks off its 30th year by holding its annual basic crew training session, replenishing a roster of trained helpers that fluctuates between 100 and 150 volunteers.
Five classroom sessions, with the first being held Thursday, Jan. 19, begin the process of teaching attendees to sail these majestic boats. Topics covered include traditional skills such as helmsmanship, seamanship, basic navigation, marlinspike and line handling. Safety is emphasized at every step. In keeping with the MHA's mission, crew training also includes Great Lakes maritime history.
New crew trainees need not have an extensive sailing background, though experienced sailors are also welcome.
"We actually have a whole variety of people, some already have 50-ton licenses and some who have never stepped on a boat before," said Laura Quackenbush, crew trainer and co-chair of the alliance's administration committee.
The basic crew training course continues during the sailing season, including 16 hours of on-water training as well as an overnight sail.
Skills learned during the series can be used by crew members on the Alliance's sloop Welcome as well as the Madeline, a replica of a wooden schooner that plied the Great Lakes in the mid-1800s.
The Madeline was built by devoted volunteers and launched in 1990. The nonprofit MHA continues to rely on volunteers to keep its fleet both sailing and maintained.
"What we're trying to do is train a crew to sail and not just to sail, but to take care of the boat," said Quackenbush, adding that a typical Madeline sailing crew includes ten people: a captain and three watches.
Consistency is also crucial among crew members and the training teaches everyone, even experienced sailors, how to perform tasks the MHA way.
"Every time the boat goes out, the crew is different because we are a volunteer organization," said Quackenbush. "With that many people we pretty much have to be regimented in how we do things."
The Maritime Heritage Alliance offers two types of sailing for their ships: community and heritage sails on the Grand Traverse Bay and voyages around the Great Lakes to visit festivals and other events.
"Over the past 21 years, the Madeline has been from Toronto to Oconto, Chicago to Duluth," Quackenbush said of these outreach activities.
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