By Captain Brook Smith
With Jack Armistead

One of the most beautiful sights in all of Hampton Roads is when the American Rover glides by under full sail in the Elizabeth River.

Her red “tan bark” sails fully set, the American Rover is one of the most photographed icons Norfolk has to offer. This season marks the 25th for the graceful vessel.

Nobody knows the American Rover better than its Captain, Brook Smith. Brook gives this exclusive account of the American Rover:

The American Rover was the fourth of a series of boats designed and built at Willoughby by Merritt Walter, a retired NOAA officer. They were Bonney Rover, which is frequently berthed nearby during festivals, Norfolk Rover and Dixie Rover.

The American Rover is the largest at 135-feet overall and 100-feet on deck. She is built of steel with aluminum spars and displacing about 110 tons. Her Hull was too big to construct at Willoughby so it was actually built at a small yard in Panama City, Florida.

Myself, Terry Briggs, Ward Walter (Merritt’s son), and some fisherman we shanghaid at a bar in Florida, motored the bare hull with engines up the coast to Norfolk, arriving in April of 1985. A handful of us spent a year fitting out the ship and were barely able to begin operating by May of 1989. In fact, we spent the time between cruises and late nights trying to finish her.

I had been with the company for three years while attending Old Dominion University prior to this working as a deckhand and doing some captaining after I had acquired my captain’s license in the process.

The economy wasn’t so hot and my Business Degree was proving useless so I accepted the job as Captain of the American Rover for what ended up equating to about minimum wage.

We ran for three years from Waterside under Merritt’s ownership and then he wanted out. There were a lot of things I wanted to change about the boat and operation and I figured this was my chance. I put together a business plan, took out a small loan, persuaded some investors to buy in, and worked out some owner-financing and took over in time for the 1989 season.

Now it is season 25! The Waterside is slow, my hair is greying, my back is sore from climbing in bilges, but the American Rover is still plying the Harbor 2-4 times a day with her signature red “tanbark” sails (the fifth set!) showing off Norfolk’s bustling harbor and giving people a taste of what it might have been like to sail on a big cargo schooner 150 years ago. And yes, in answer to our most frequently asked question, she really does sail! We have actually been ‘green’ all along. We are usually able to go by wind power for about half of each cruise on average. Sometimes the whole cruise with the right wind and sometimes not at all. We will run the generator to keep below decks and the beer cold.

After 25 seasons, we have done over 10,000 cruises of all types: corporate parties, weddings and receptions, DJ moonlight party cruises, birthday parties, rehearsal dinners, kids parties, church outings and more - along with our daily 1-1/2 and 2-hour sightseeing and sunset cruises. We are a one stop shop and can handle all requests from catering to entertainment to bar service and we sail from late March to mid-November. Just contact Tom Van Benschoten at 627-SAIL (7245) or www. americanrover.com.

The cruises are not just for tourists. We have a number of locals that come out regularly, especially with their out of town guests. We are licensed to carry up to 149 passengers although we recommend no more than 125 for comfort. People are usually surprised how much space there is on board, topside and below because it is deceiving from the dock. Our crew takes great pride for maintaining what I feel is the cleanest and most professionally operated sailing passenger vessel in the industry anywhere. The heads are clean and the brass is polished 3 times a day.

I get the most satisfaction out of this business when we are on a cruise and the wind is just right and it’s quiet and I can overhear a family or small group of people talking about how they are enjoying the sail and the sights. It is especially nice when after I make my closing remarks at the end of sail, there is applause.

It has also been a pleasure to have had the opportunity to work with so many interesting people over the years. It’s always bitter sweet when a crew I have had for several seasons graduates from college and moves on. It happens every season. It’s hard to believe that when I started doing this I was just about the same age as most of the crew - now the passengers want to know if they are my children. My children by the way are 9 and 4, Sarah and Daniel.

Although we consider all of our passengers to be special, we have had a few notables on board over the years: Skitch Henderson, director of the NBC Orchestra, came out several times while in town working with the Virginia Symphony. . . Gavin MacLeod (Love Boat Captain Merrill Stubing himself!). He even steered but knows nothing about boats; Pat Robertson; Bruce Hornsby, who spent some time playing the onboard piano; Lee Majors; and Neil Diamond, who chatted with me while on a 3- hour charter.

There have been so many memorable experiences over the years from OpSail 2000 to sailing in with the Battleship Wisconsin to all the Harborfest parades of sail and all the fireworks shows. Also sailing up the bay to the Urbanna Oyster Festivals and several Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Races. We have seen interesting ships and interesting people from all over the world.

Our goals are to not let the economy take too much wind out of our sails so we can continue to maintain and upgrade the ship to be able to offer this unique experience for years to come. We are a private enterprise and receive no grants or city funding so we must work hard to stay afloat. This year also marks our 10th season of Victory Rover Naval Base Cruises from Nauticus.

I would like to thank all of those who have sailed with us and for those who haven’t, what are you waiting for? Welcome Aboard! It’s been 25 great years! Call 627-SAIL (7245).

SPRING (Mid April thru Memorial Day Weekend)
• 3pm Harbor Cruise (1 ½ Hrs.) Every Day but Monday
• 6:30pm Sunset Cruise (2 Hrs.) Call or go online for Schedule and Entertainment.

SUMMER (Memorial Day Weekend thru Labor Day)
• 11:30am Harbor Cruise (1 ½ Hrs.) Wednesday thru Saturday
• 3pm Harbor Cruise - (1 ½ Hrs.) Every Day
• 7pm Sunset Cruise - (2 Hrs.) Call or go online for Schedule and Entertainment
• 10pm - (1 ½ Hrs.) Moonlight Cruise - Select Fridays and Saturdays (Inquire)

FALL (After Labor Day thru Late October)
• 3pm Harbor Cruise - (1 ½ Hrs.) Every Day but Monday
• 6pm Sunset Cruise - (2 Hrs.) Call or go online for Schedule and Entertainment

1 ½ Hour Harbor Cruise
Adults $16 Children $10
This daytime cruise is our most popular for kids and families. Lend a hand setting the sails, take a turn at the helm, or simply sit back and enjoy the cruise as the Captain points out the highlights of the Harbor: The Downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth Skylines, Battleship Wisconsin, Private Shipyards, Naval Hospital, NOAA Headquarters, Coast Guard Station, Cargo Terminals, Coal Piers, Old Fort Norfolk and more. We may also see Navy Ships, Tugboats, Private Yachts and even occasionally dolphins.

2 Hour Sunset Cruise
Adults $25 Children $15
The evening cruise is our most popular for adults, couples, groups of friends and company outings. (Families and children are always welcome!) Both fun and romantic, the sunset cruise is the perfect way to spend an evening. After the captain does a short tour of some of the sights of the Harbor sit back and enjoy one of our ship’s musicians.

1 ½ Hour Moonlight Cruise
$12 pp - Adults Only
Your Bar Alternative! One of the area’s most popular events for social groups, birthday parties and other celebrations it is great way for those 21 and up to get together and mingle under the stars. Enjoy the Harbor Lights as we cruise the smooth waters of the Elizabeth River. Call 627-SAIL or go online at www.americanrover.com for more information.