Historical Sailing Ships Article

But the shore excursions were not the only sources of pulse-pounding anticipation. This day in August 1997 was to be a notable one in the annals of Commodore Cruise Line and this ship. Captain Donal Ryan had finally acceded to the pleas of officers and crew, who felt that the Universe Explorer had established her right, after multiple dockings at this northernmost point of the famed Inside Passage, to join the shipping fraternity here at the dock. The cliff face adjacent to the pier had long been painted with a wild montage of ships' names and logos with dates that reflected the ups and downs of Alaskan shipping between and after both world wars. What might strike some as graffiti were viewed by townspeople and ship personnel as proud signatures, a painted rock "guestbook."

"That cliff is the unofficial registry of all the ships that put in here" said Mavis Hendrickson of Skagway's visitors bureau. "It's the sailor's way of leaving his mark," said Jay Flory, Skagway representative of the Alaska Cruise Lines Agencies. "There's an angst in the mariner's life, a sense of disconnection from the land, a loss of rootedness," said a ship historian, onboard as a guest lecturer. "The common practice of inscribing his name, the name of his ship, when he touches land is a way of reconnecting, asserting identity."

Now passengers in excited clusters ondeck swapped binoculars to study the cliffside inscriptions--Prinsendam, 1977; Xanadu, 1976; Daphne, 1980. Some inscriptions received praise, others were condemned as tacky. One colorful depiction of Popeye at a ship's wheel was dismissed as "juvenile." The Universe Explorer's signature would be outstandingly beautiful and classy, a crewmember asserted positively.

Everyone watched tensely as an intrepid deck-hand edged along a narrow ledge high up on the cliff face and laboriously pounded a large spike into the rock. It would help anchor a bos'n chair, which would be suspended on ropes from the top of the clift. The chair would hold the artist and his paints. A team of two "abies' (able-bodied seamen) were the artists. "They better not misspell our name" quipped Captain Ryan, grinning.

The ship historian told all who would listen that artwork has been integral in marine history, especially in early exploration voyages when careful sketches, drawings, and paintings were the only means of supplementing journal accounts with pictorial images of coasts and shore features in far-off places. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was common practice for ships' officers during formal training to receive instruction not only in seamanship and navigation but also in drawing.

As buses departed on excursions, the dock settled into subdued bustle, while a small platoon of passengers anxiously monitored progress on the cliff face. There was concern about the wind, which came whipping up the Lynn Canal and had the dangling bos'n chair swinging alarmingly on its ropes. (The name Skagway, derived from a local Indian dialect, means "home of the north wind.")

"Do the abies get hazard pay for this job?" passengers asked. No, said Captain Ryan jokingly, but they would be fined or left behind on the cliff if they didn't finish the work by sailing time. Mavis Hendrickson pointed out that some of the ships' logos in the most inaccessible places on the cliff were not inscribed on rock but were painted on boards that were then attached to the cliff face. She told of a ship's crew working very high one year that found themselves unable to descend and had to be rescued by helicopter.

A thrill of pride and accomplishment rippled through the onlookers, passengers, and staff, as "their signature" took shape high up on the cliff. There was the curly logo of Commodore Cruise Line (ship owner) and the winged bird symbol of World Explorer Cruises (ship operator) in gleaming red, white, blue, and gold enamel. Ship's name and date were sturdily distinct. Jay Flory reminded the assembled crowd that an average of 16 ships a week dock in Skagway during the summer season. All would see this latest addition to the "guestbook."

"A double allowance of grog for the crew," quipped Captain Ryan as the artists were the last ones up the gangplank while cheers rang throughout the Universe Explorer. Everyone subsequently agreed that Janey Smith, a ship musician, had suitably commemorated the occasion when she wrote:

 Next to the pier up in Skagway,
 A mountain goes straight to the sky;
 Upon it's a series of pictures,
 Some lettered a foot or more high.
 There's many who've scaled the side of it,
 In peril their safety it's true;
 To paint it with signs and with symbols,
 Messages old and new.
 The spirit with which they were put there,
 Comes from pride and love of sea;
 For the sailors by whom they were written,
 Wanted all arrivers to see.
 Yes, many a ship that has been there,
 Fine ladies all of them are;
 Have left us to see from these traces,
 That love comes from near and far.
 Though some are no longer with us,
 The legacy's left there for all;
 As long as there are sailors and oceans,
 More writing will be on the wall.

And more writing has appeared on the Skagway cliff face since the Universe Explorer joined the "guestbook." Also, Commodore Cruise Line has ceased business, and World Explorer Cruises is seeking a new vessel for its Alaska program; but the Universe Explorer sails on for Semester At Sea, offering worldwide voyages featuring onboard accredited academic programs. For more information about Semester At Sea, contact the Institute For Shipboard Education (Cruise Travel Magazine), 811 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. For more information about Skagway, contact the Skagway Convention & Visitors Bureau (Cruise Travel Magazine), Box 1025, Skagway, AK 99840. For more information about cruises to Alaska, contact your travel agent.