THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 2, 1996 TAG: 9605300200
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH
STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: 87 lines
EVEN ON A gunmetal gray day, the Downeast Rover cuts an elegant path in the dark waters of Shallowbag Bay.
With a hunter green hull and sails the color of rust, the squeak and creak of wind on canvas sings a song of the 19th century, when topsail-schooners were familiar sights in the bays and sounds of the Eastern Seaboard.
Now, visitors to Roanoke Island can experience the classic feel of the historic ships with a ride on the Downeast Rover. The vessel is among the newest attractions on the historic Manteo Waterfront.
After more than three seasons sailing out of Wrightsville Beach, N.C., Capt. Brad Gunn says the move to Roanoke Island is a perfect fit for his boat.
``As lovely a place as Wrightsville Beach is, it's not a big enough destination to support a boat like this,'' Gunn said. ``The people who enjoy the Elizabeth II will find me and my boat attractive. They get 100,000 people there every year.''
Gunn hopes the lure of maritime history will entice visitors to his boat, a 12-year-old replica of the vessels that carried goods from port cities like Norfolk and Boston to inland communities.
``These boats worked in shallow depths, hauling cargo from Wilmington to Fayetteville, or up the Neuse River to New Bern,'' Gunn said. ``The Downeast Rover is an amalgamation of 19th century design.''
The 56-foot steel vessel was built in 1984 by the famous Norfolk boat builder Merritt Walter. The Downeast Rover was constructed for the Rover Marine Line, formerly of Norfolk. Gunn bought the boat from the company.
``Since Rover Marine holds the note on the boat, I have to keep the word `Rover' in the name,'' Gunn says.
A 49-year-old New York native, Gunn has been sailing since he was 12.
``I was so hooked on anything to do with the water,'' Gunn said. ``I got an 8-foot dinghy. And if the truth be told, my mom probably wanted to get me out of the house. She got me sailing lessons, and that first summer my friend Chris Trent and I won a series of races at the Shrewsbury, N.J., Sailing and Yacht Club.''
Chris Trent became a well-known jazz pianist. And after years of world travel, building sewer systems in India, doing public relations in Saudi Arabia, and journeying to the four corners of the globe, Gunn has settled on his boat on Roanoke Island.
What makes the Downeast Rover so special?
``Before this boat, I had never owned a traditional rigged boat,'' Gunn said. ``I was raised in the modern school that believed that modern rigs were superior to gaff rigs. I didn't realize how versatile and simple and elegant it was. After owning a gaff rig, I could never own a modern rig. No way.''
Three times daily, Gunn takes the craft out into the waters of Roanoke Sound. The Downeast Rover shares the water with pelicans and osprey and seagulls, who watch as the boat passes by.
The boat can hold 24 passengers comfortably.
Along with the historical feel, sailors may get the sense they've seen the Downeast Rover before.
``This boat was part of a `Matlock' episode that was filmed down at Wrightsville Beach,'' Gunn said. ``And it's been used in Land's End and Pearle Vision catalogs.''
But for visitors from the landlocked regions, Gunn's craft provides the sailing experience and a chance to unwind.
``Every now and then it happens,'' Gunn said. ``A magical quiet settles on the boat. No one is saying a word. When we get to the end of the cruise, it's hard to get them off the boat.''
``It's stress-reduction therapy,'' Gunn said. ``It's like meditation.''
Gunn said he hopes to make dreams come true for visitors who have long yearned to feel the wind in their face aboard a classic sailing ship.
``Fishing is a blue-collar form of meditation,'' Gunn said. ``But what you catch isn't important. The process itself is a form of stress reduction. Often going to a baseball game is, too.
``Sailing is like that if it's done right, and we try to do it right.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Capt. Brad Gunn has moved his sailboat the Downeast Rover from
Wrightsville Beach to Roanoke Island.
THE DOWNEAST ROVER
Where: On the Manteo Waterfront.
Cost: $15 for adults, $10 for children 2 to 12 for two-hour
cruises departing at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily. Children under 2 sail
free on daytime cruises. Extended sunset cruises at 6:30 are $20 for
adults. Private charters are available.
Refresements: Soft drinks are available on board, and visitors
can bring picnic baskets, beer and wine.
Phone: 473-4866. by CNB