The discovery of gold in California in
1848 had a dramatic impact on this country and the rest of the world. In the
shipping industry, for example, speed and capacity became even more
important for shipping goods to the booming city of San Francisco. It was
during this time, at the height of the clipper ship era, that George Raynes
built the Witch of the Wave at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Pilot Schooner "Gracie
S. ", Becalmed off Alcatraz
Ships navigating into and out of the
harbors around San Francisco in the late nineteenth century were typically
met by a pilot, a local seaman familiar with the shallow waters around the
coastline. After directing the ship through the waters, the pilot would
return to his schooner and await the next ship. The pilot schooner Gracie S.
traveled waters around San Francisco from the nineteenth to the early
twentieth century, tirelessly aiding larger ships in their passage.
In U.S. Frigate Congress on the California
Coast, artist Christopher Blossom presents us with the flagship of the
California squadron during the war with Mexico. Built between 1839 and 1842
at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Maine, the Congress served off South America
in the 1840s. The Civil War brought Congress back to U.S. waters, joining
the blockade of the Confederacy's Atlantic coast. In March 1862, US Congress
was attacked by the ironclad CSS Virginia and forced to surrender.
A trace of salt water is noticeable in the
light tropical breeze; time-worn, velvety Caribbean sand gives way
underfoot; the soft intermingling of land and sea the only sound.
Christopher Blossom’s passion for the beauty of the sea keeps him close to
his subject and it was while on a working trip in the Bahamas’ Berry Islands
that he found inspiration for Ashore at Soldier’s Cay.
“This small uninhabited cay was about
300 yards long by 100 yards wide and probably 10 feet at its highest
elevation. Consisting of mostly coral, beach and scrub brush, with the
Atlantic to the east and banks (where we were anchored) to the west. I found
the essentially deserted landscape intriguing. It seemed like we were the
only people on earth.”
Afternoon Arrival, Gloucester captures a
moment in the early 20th
century as the fishing schooner Monitor slides quietly into Gloucester,
Massachusetts’ inner harbor in the late afternoon.
“I have always enjoyed painting the
arrival and departure of vessels. Regardless of the excitement or
anticipation of the voyage to come, when setting out there is an underlying
level of apprehension. The ocean can be unforgiving. With the satisfaction
of a successfully completed trip, there is always a feeling of relief mixed
with thoughts of homecoming.”
A mackerel schooner sails in early spring
morning fog as another schooner silently disappears into the misty
background. The smell of brine is heavy in the chilly air as the ship's dory
secures the beginning of the net from the seine boat, whose crew of ten
begins "tossing the twine" in a methodical effort to encircle the day's
catch.
