Tony Bosworth aloft in the rigging of Kalmar Nyckel in Washington D.C. in 2009.
Climbing 95 feet above the deck of The Tall Ship of Delaware would be a thrill for some of us. For Tony Bosworth, it’s been a 21 year passion. As a Kalmar Nyckel volunteer he reached his 10,000-hour milestone for service to the ship this summer, and now a carving of his likeness will be mounted on the stern of the ship for two years. A resident of Kennett Square, his face will be just one of six volunteers who earned a coveted place with a gallery of carvings of Delaware politicians and supporters, dating back to the ship’s launch in 1998.
“When Kalmar Nyckel’s Captain Hiott put out the first call for sailing crew in December 1997, my wife, Gina, read the news and said, “Why don’t we do that together?” Class started in January (just like it does every year),” recalls Bosworth. “For the first couple of years we both crewed. The first training class started with 204 members and 110 completed the class. The crew slept on the deck in sleeping bags before bunks and the below-decks area was built out – it was pretty rough at first. Then we voyaged to Glen Cove, Long Island – and that was a great trip!”
Fast forward to 2019: “It was a great thrill to be recognized for 10,000 hours of service on the ship this summer. We were on the Hudson River near Yonkers and Captain Lauren spread the word. It felt great to be on the ship, doing a voyage with my crewmates when I reached this milestone. It made me stop and look back, because you just do your job and all of the activities… this has been my primary ‘fun job’ since before the construction of the ship was even completed.”
Sailing on Kalmar Nyckel was a natural fit for Bosworth who served in the U.S Navy, raced sail boats for pleasure, and brought 25 years of maritime experience to the Kalmar Nyckel. “Where else can you sail a full scale replica of a 17th century square-rigged ship on ocean passages, the Chesapeake Bay, Hudson River, Delaware River, and Wilmington’s Christina River? It’s a one-of-a-kind program. I choose my schedule and get out of it as much as I have put into it,” reflects Bosworth.”
