Bay City, Michigan - 0200, By Matthew Maples

It is refreshingly quiet and cool on deck now. No sounds, save for one barely audible conversation and the occasional car passing over the bridge. In a handful of hours, however, the quay will become host to a loud crowd, cheering and waving as we cast off our docklines, leaving Bay City Michigan behind us. We are looking forward to open waters and a lake breeze tomorrow…but I suspect we will miss the hospitality of our four days in Bay City before too long.

The last time the ASTA Tall Ships Challenge happened on the Great Lakes in 2006, Bay City won the distinction of being the number one port. I believe I can understand why! From a sailor's point of view, Bay City has set a lofty benchmark for entertainment and hospitality. Our crew enjoyed (among many things) two crew parties, a sumptuous brunch, and even free admission to an Alice Cooper concert.

You can tell the crew on Europa are tons of fun when they stand out at an Alice Cooper gig! We made quite the impression in our silly, black, second-hand T-shirts (matched to our own personalities) and black make-up. Especially our mate, Harko; his naturally great stature was accentuated with a home-made Viking helm with real horns! He looked like he belonged on-stage.

Ok, so we on Europa know how to have a good time (especially with our famous "braai" BBQ's!) but how seriously do we take our seamanship? How does first place for the first of the 2010 tall ships races sound? Captain Vos received that award last night to a thunderous applause at the Mariner's Ball. That award might be mounted on our "brag" wall down below, across from the galley, alongside the other plaques. With that win we have now established a precedent of pressure to maintain our lead in the upcoming races, the next of which begins tomorrow.

What was the ultimate highlight of our time in Bay City for us though? Our epic-scale slingshot! Diven's hasty and makeshift contraption birthed during the last race has morphed into a sophisticated machine of twisted elastic bands and whisker booms. From our sloop deck during we unleashed a torrential barrage of water balloons, day in and out!. Our targets: Anything moving in the river, including other tall ships, sweating recreational boaters, bow bunnies and the Coast Guard auxiliaries.

The Coast Guard auxiliaries were especially good sports about our sling shot, with many of them idling in circles down our range, taunting us with jeers and just asking to be soaked! We obliged them time and again, and an uproarious, seemingly unceasing fit of laughter came from our sloop deck. Children and adults alike adored our water-bomb sling shot and even the people being shot at loved it too! Many of the boats went out of their way just to give us a better chance of hitting them. At one point we even ignited a rivalry with the tall ship Lynx after a few well-placed shots landed on their decks. They returned the favor with three rounds of close-ranged cannon fire blanks - just loud enough to scare the dickens out of everyone and make babies cry.

The head of the Coast Guard in this area even gave a "shout-out" to the Europa during the recongnition ceremony of the Mariner's Ball for being the "fun ship" that everyone, especially his auxiliaries were talking about. We are now known as the "fun boat" - a very fitting description for us, I think, as we do have a lot of fun here. Would those who have been crew on this ship keep doing it for this long if it wasn't fun?

Fun and foolery aside, we have a race coming up tomorrow. We hope the weather will defy the forecasts and give us some more exciting wind then what is expected. We shall see what happens…

Thank you Bay City!