Mike Peters Recounts Tall Ship Adventures at Next Jacksonport Historical Society Program

Join the Jacksonport Historical Society on June 21 at 7pm at the Jacksonport Town Hall, Cty. V, for a wonderful presentation by Mike Peters as he recounts his fascination with sailing ships of all types, and in particular, the Pride of Baltimore II.

Peters is a life-long sailor and ship’s captain, holding a US Coast Guard 1600ton Master’s License for Power and Sail.  He has sailed and raced boats of all sizes and types all over the world, both soft and hard water (ice boats).  Commercially, he’s operated tugboats, research vessels, and paddle wheelers throughout the United States Inland Waterways and oceans of the world.

The one type of vessel that has always fascinated Peters is the tall ship. He first saw the tall ship Pride of Baltimore II in the 1990s sailing into Florida’s Key West Truman Annex Harbor.  The next time he saw the Pride of Baltimore II  was in 2016 when it visited Sturgeon Bay for the Tall Ship Festival. When a friend told me how a person could sail as a guest crew on a tall ship, I applied online for a crew position aboard the Pride. Peters said, “The application was detailed regarding health, experience, and why I wanted to sail on her. As guest crew you had the option of being totally involved in the operation of the vessel or just go for a ride and be a passenger. You had a choice of routes and dates depending on where the Pride would be docked. I was selected and began my journey on the second leg of the Pride’s travels out of the Great Lakes.  It was a five day passage, boarding her in Marquette, Michigan and sailing her to Lorain, Ohio via Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake Erie, a distance of some 500 miles or so.  And so, let me share with you some of my experiences of life aboard the Tall Ship Pride of Baltimore II, a highlight of my sailing career.”

Admission is free and open to the public but a donation is welcomed. Refreshments will be served following the presentation. It takes place at Jacksonport Town Hall on County V.