Weekends with Yankee

NARRATOR: Coming up on Weekends with Yankee, Amy travels to Massachusetts to join reenactments of the battles of Lexington and Concord at the sites where the American Revolution began.

- Lay down your arms!

Fire!

(muskets firing) NARRATOR: Then we're off to Rockland, Maine, where Richard climbs aboard a windjammer named the Lewis R. French as they sail headlong into the annual great schooner race.

- My favorite part is when we've left the harbor for the first time and that moment where suddenly it's quiet and the sails are up.

Everything just feels right in that moment.

NARRATOR: And finally, Amy ends the day back in Massachusetts at the renowned Concord Museum.

- You will really, truly find the story of that first battle of the American Revolution.

NARRATOR: So come along with us for a once-in-a-lifetime journey through New England as you've never experienced it before.

A true insider's guide from the editors of Yankee magazine.

Join explorer and adventurer Richard Wiese and Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso for behind-the-scenes access to the unique attractions that define this region.

It's the ultimate travel guide from the people who know it best.

Weekends with Yankee.

- Major funding provided by: - Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts.

The first public park in America.

The first fried clams.

The first university in America.

The first basketball game.

What's first for you?

- Grady-White-- crafting offshore sport fishing boats for over 60 years.

- Country Carpenters-- handcrafted barns and homes for over 50 years.

- On an American Cruise Lines journey, you can explore historic New England.

(bell ringing) NARRATOR: Patriots Day-- in Massachusetts, communities across the state come together to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the first battle in the American Revolution.

It's a holiday which celebrates history and pride in the American fight for freedom and democracy.

TRAVERSO: Travel back in time with me.

It's April 19, 1775, at dawn, I'm in Lexington, Massachusetts, where 250 years ago, Massachusetts colonists rebelled against British crown and its authority.

The British redcoats arrived here at the Lexington town green.

But to their surprise, the Minutemen were here, ready, with their arms drawn.

- Lay down your arms!

Lay down your arms!

- You won't get my gun!

- By God, sir, we'll have them all!

Battalion!

TRAVERSO: What is the significance of this battle?

- The significance of this battle is this is the tipping point.

There were many other small skirmishes leading up to this point for the past year or two, but never had we assembled as a militia armed against the king's troops.

So this was the spark that started everything.

TRAVERSO: What is your role today?

- Today, Lieutenant William Tidd was one of the few people, I think there's only about four or five militiamen, they actually fired their muskets against the British.

(muskets firing, participants shouting) Can you tell me about the role you're playing?

- I'm a private in His Majesty's 10th Regiment, a foot grenadier.

My soldier wears a bear cap.

It elevates your height to a certain stature where you're... we were the shock.

- Fire!

(muskets firing) - When you march on this green, there's no better feeling.

You just, you feel the magic, you feel... the way, probably, these young soldiers did when they marched upon this green early morning and came across men with muskets.

TRAVERSO: So, Kiernan, I imagine you're the youngest.

- Probably, yes.

TRAVERSO: Yeah, so how old are you?

- I am 14 years old.

TRAVERSO: Wow.

And how did you get involved in this?

- My teacher.

He was a reenactor, and for one of his battles, he gave out extra credit.

And in 2019, I watched my first Lexington Green battle, and that's, that's when I got hooked.

(participants chanting) - These men stood there, risked their lives in defense of our freedoms and defense of our liberty.

(musket fire) TRAVERSO: The Patriots Day festivities now move from Lexington to Concord.

I'm here on Main Street in Concord, and the celebration continues.

NARRATOR: All over the commonwealth of Massachusetts, towns celebrate Patriots Day with local fanfare.

In the position of honor is the Concord Independent Battery.

The battery has a storied history which began in 1774, when two cannons were stolen and hidden here from the British.

The original artillery resides in the state house.

Today, the ceremonial cannons are inscribed to honor the colonial resistance and are fired to commemorate special events.

(cannon booms) - So the Concord Independent Battery we view as a very integral part of the history of Concord.

I was born and brought up in Concord, and it was always a very special day because it simply represented the actually birthplace of the Revolutionary War, which then led to American independence.

(horse whinnies) TRAVERSO: Why are you passionate about the Concord Independent Battery?

- The Concord Independent Battery is a great group of people that volunteer their time, and they're all here for the same common cause, which is great, to celebrate Patriots Day and the other events to recognize the veterans that gave their life to be where we are today, to be able to have this conversation.

Hey, bud, all right, you good to go?

All right.

Good luck.

- Thank you.

My dad has always been a member of the Battery, so as a kid, this was always an event that all of my cousins showed up to, and we stood along the parade route and watched the parade go by and then went and watched the battery fire the cannons.

It was also an opportunity to continue to honor that history in Concord and in Massachusetts.

And, I mean, what's cooler than learning how to fire a cannon?

(laughs) (cannon booms) TRAVERSO: I'm looking at these beautiful cannons behind me.

What are they used for today?

- We believe we're the oldest horse-drawn artillery unit in the United States.

So our position is very special-- we fire at the, at the bridge.

(cannon booms) The battery has been in the parades since 1804.

The parade will be led with our honor guard, which is, you know, four men.

And then from there we'll have the single mount horses where the officers ride the single mounts out front and the team of horses will be taking a caisson and a cannon behind us.

NARRATOR: Abby is the first female member of the battery to ride with a team of horses.

- So I am really lucky.

I get to ride one of the horses that pulls the cannon.

TRAVERSO: Ooh!

- It's a lot of fun.

I love sitting up there and just, like, waving at the kids as they, you know, are off on the side.

I also get to be on one of the gun crews up at the Old Manse.

NARRATOR: The Old Manse field bore witness to the first shots of the American Revolution and lies overlooking the Old North Bridge.

Here at Concord's Old North Bridge, the conflict escalated.

Minutemen from around the region fired on the British regulars in what's now known as "the shot heard round the world."

The war had truly begun.

(muskets firing) - I think today is an opportunity to remember why we love America, which sometimes isn't always easy.

But a day like today, where we can celebrate and we can remember all of the hard work and great things that the patriots did, this is a day where we can remember that we do love America and it's a great place to be.

(drumming, flute playing ends) TRAVERSO: I'm here at the Wright Tavern in Concord.

This is where the Minutemen gathered on the morning of April 19, 1775.

And now I'm going to be meeting with some reenactors to find out what it took to be a Minuteman.

- When people see the Concord Minutemen, I want them to remember that there were people here, just normal, everyday people, who stood up for their rights and their freedom.

TRAVERSO: Why do we call you Minutemen?

- Well, when the alarm went out, you had to be ready in a minute's notice.

So we were all citizen farmers, blacksmiths, tradespeople.

But when the bell, the alarm sounded, we had virtually one minute to get to the captain and get our orders.

TRAVERSO: What kind of city skills does it take to assume the captain's role in a militia?

- You'll learn the ranks as a musket man, learning how to march, all the commands.

This is my 52nd year with the company and my sixth as captain.

(marching band playing) - So my role in the Concord Minutemen is I'm the fife sergeant.

And the fife sergeant is in charge of obviously the fifes, what music we play, how we march, how we dress, how we present ourselves.

TRAVERSO: And so why were fifes used?

It wasn't just so that they had pretty music to listen to as they marched, right?

- During the European wars, they typically had large battlefields.

And you can imagine that you cannot shout more than 50 feet your orders.

So these fife tunes, or signals with the fife and drum, were known actually at both sides of typical European warfare.

(plays fife) (Amy plays note) There you go, you got a note, that's fantastic.

TRAVERSO: (vocalizing fife playing) (laughs) - There you go.

(plays "Yankee Doodle Dandy") TRAVERSO: Oh, that's fabulous.

- Plays very nice even though it's an $8 fife.

TRAVERSO: Thank you so much!

I'm gonna take this home and, you know... - Very good!

TRAVERSO: ...work on my skills, and then I'll give you a call.

- Practice.

All right.

TRAVERSO: Okay, thank you so much!

So what is the role of the sergeant major?

- The sergeant major's role is to, um, make sure that everybody is well trained and safe in the unit.

TRAVERSO: You've got this beautiful musket here.

- So when they say prime and load, we usually come down to this position, pull out a cartridge, tear it off with our teeth, pour a little bit of powder in the pan.

Then we come up here to show the officer in charge that we're ready to go.

They say shoulder, then they'll say, make ready, turn it, full-cock, present.

And then we pull the trigger.

(trigger clicks) TRAVERSO: Ooh!

Wow.

- Flash in the pan.

TRAVERSO: Flash in the pan.

Thank you for just doing a flash in the pan.

- You're welcome.

TRAVERSO: Tell me what you love about doing these reenactments.

- Who gets to do this stuff?

TRAVERSO: (laughs) - You're in Concord, Massachusetts, this is amazing.

This is, you know, a microcosm of history right here.

(marching drums playing) - Each day means that liberty, justice, freedom, all the things that are precious to us.

Life, pursuit of happiness, family.

I think it all rolls into one.

TRAVERSO: Mm, yeah.

- We take our role very seriously.

We love our town, we love our people, and, uh, it means a lot just to put on the uniform.

WIESE: I'm off the coast of Rockland, Maine.

While Maine's known for its sparkling seas, every once in a while it gets hit with pea soup fog.

But in a few hours, this area is going to be alive with the Great Schooner Race.

NARRATOR: Hailed as the largest annual gathering of traditional schooners in America, every summer, captains, crews and passengers hoist their sails on Penobscot Bay for the Great Schooner Race.

It's an annual event held by the Maine Windjammer Association of Classic Boats.

Meet Captain Becky Sigwright.

She's the youngest female captain of the Windjammer fleet and takes the helm of its oldest schooner, the Lewis R. French.

WIESE: They call this the Great Schooner Race.

What's so great about it?

- It's the only part of the world where boats like this come together and do this kind of thing.

You know, it's a completely unique experience.

And seeing all these square miles of canvas all together is part of what makes it great.

WIESE: Did you always know you wanted to be a sailor?

- Pretty much, yeah, from the time I was, I don't know, 11 or 12.

WIESE: What was the sort of gateway boat and activity?

- Reading-- reading books.

Like the Patrick O' Brian books and the Hornblower books.

WIESE: Oh, no kidding.

- Yeah.

And that really sparked my interest in tall ship sailing.

WIESE: And did you ever foresee yourself back then being a captain?

- No, no-- at that age, I didn't even know that boats like this existed anymore.

I thought they were all, like, part of museums and gone the way of the dodo.

NARRATOR: The Lewis R. French was built in 1871.

It is designated as a National Historic Landmark and the oldest commercial sailing vessel in the U.S.

The French is the last remaining schooner of thousands built in Maine during the 19th century.

Over 100 feet long, she sails under 3,000 square feet of canvas.

Incredibly, she has been ported in Maine her entire life.

- Lewis R. French was a shopkeeper in South Bristol, Maine.

He had three sons and they were all boat builders.

So they built a ship and named it after their father.

She carried cargoes of corn, bricks, grains-- whatever was needed from point A to point B-- all around the coast of Maine, which is why she's called a coaster and why we're racing in the coaster class.

WIESE: Winds are kind of light, fog's probably going to lift, but, um, the wind, that's going to be the question.

And that's when the real sailing skills begin.

NARRATOR: Race day begins with a captain's meeting to chart today's course in challenging weather conditions.

- We'll head out to a point south of Robinson Rock.

We'll then head back to the breakwater and then we'll head out due west until Owls Head Light.

WIESE: You know, speaking of competition, you know, all the captains seem like they're friends, good natured, a lot of fun.

But once the race gets going, do people actually want to win?

- Oh, yeah.

They may not admit it.

In my opinion, it's only really a race if we're winning.

If we're not winning, it's just for fun.

WIESE: (laughs) You know, this fog is amazingly thick and I have to admit, with no wind, fog, this is what's going to separate the good sailors from the great sailors.

And thankfully, I'm with a great sailor.

NARRATOR: Nathan Sigrid wasn't born into sailing, but works aboard the French as one of its mates.

Today, he and Captain Becky are newlyweds and the proud owners of the French.

Together, they have set sail on a new journey.

- Pass the jib!

Yeah, we met in the middle of winter and Becky was telling me all about tall ships and windjamming and I had no idea what she was talking about.

WIESE: Really?

- I was in the trades, I had never gone sailing in my life.

But Becky showed up on the docks when she was 17.

She's always known what she's wanted to do.

Been doing it for a long time.

WIESE: Do you think sailing is a good relationship activity?

- It depends, it depends on the temperament of the couple.

I think it's great for us.

- Yeah.

- He trusts me when it matters.

If I say go and do this thing, he will go and do that thing.

- Nice to be able to work on this beautiful vessel.

We're part of its story.

We're the caretakers now.

We will be for over 20 years, give or take.

But the French has been around for 154 years.

WIESE: What kind of preparation are we gonna do for the beginning of this race?

- So we will set all of our sails, we'll raise our anchor and we'll get started.

Our race time is in about 15 minutes, so we've got to work our way up to the starting line.

WIESE: And so will this fog affect the race at all?

- A little bit, you know, we've all got our radars turned on.

We've all got our foghorns going.

We can hear a couple foghorns in the background from the various ships... (horn blaring) which is good that we can hear them because I certainly can't see them.

(horn blaring) WIESE: Wow-- you know, there's very few things that you're good at that first time.

Maybe this is my calling in life, the foghorn.

NARRATOR: Multiple windjammers from around the country are ready to race.

Each vessel is designated by class based on size and design.

Experienced sailors and novices alike can be a part of the Great Schooner Race as working crew.

They experience life aboard the French just as she was sailed in the early 19th century.

- The type of people that decide to come out on the Lewis R. French have a love for the history and of just the creativity of when things were simpler.

With this boat, you need to know what a lot more lines are and a lot more halyards and what they go to and how to tie up on, on different things.

And you don't have the modern technology that helps you.

It's really all-- you need a crew to sail a vessel like this.

WIESE: How did you get to be the first mate?

- I worked on a lot of other boats until I got to work on this one.

I love the work itself.

I love that I get to be outside all the time, you know, looking at sunsets constantly.

It's just beautiful.

The Great Schooner Race is a completely unique event, and we all get together and, you know, show off and sort of, like, really concentrate a lot of these sailing traditions in one place.

(music playing) WIESE: You actually got married on this boat.

- It was his 60th birthday, and I had booked a surprise cruise for him on the French.

And it was about a week before we came.

And he said, "Well, if my trip was on a sailboat, we could get married."

And I said, "Well, if you're serious, surprise!"

WIESE: What's been the best part about working for your current captain?

- Mm.

I mean, what isn't great?

She's a really fantastic mentor, I think is the biggest thing.

You don't even realize you're learning until you've maneuvered the entire boat by yourself 20 times.

And, you know, just the amount of trust that she puts in her crew to, um, sort of take this boat places on our own, it's really cool.

- Where time is called, we're gonna goose it with the yawl boat and then kill it and haul it up.

- Sounds great.

WIESE: How is this being out on this ship now for a season?

How has that changed you?

- Oh, are you kidding me?

This is the most romantic thing I've ever done by myself in my life.

To be out here traveling around, pulling ropes, pulling lines, and I think when I'm in my bunk at night, how many people have slept on this boat over the years, it's quite an amazing thing.

WIESE: What do you think's the best part about being on the Lewis R. French?

- Everything.

- Yeah.

- Food's great, the guests are great.

Everybody... the atmosphere.

- The food's great.

- The food, especially the food.

- The sailing, the weather, the different, you know, like, earlier it was foggy and cold.

Now it's warm and sunny.

It's like you never know what you're going to get each day.

WIESE: Today, obviously, there are light winds.

Advantage, disadvantage?

How's that going to play into your race strategy?

- Well, we have a bit of advantage over the other boats that don't carry topsails.

Generally, there's a little bit more breeze up high than there is down low.

For sailors, it's all about the journey, not the destination.

It's about relaxing, stopping to smell the roses, you know, don't be in a rush to get somewhere, because that doesn't, doesn't change how fast you're going to get there.

You just got to deal with what you have.

WIESE: Best part of this job?

- My favorite part is when we've left the harbor for the first time.

We usually motor out of the harbor and then set the sails, and then we get to turn off our yawl boat.

And that moment where suddenly it's quiet and we're out and the sails are up, and everything just kind of feels like it's what it's supposed to be.

Like, everything just feels right in that moment, and that's my favorite.

Well, we've got a little bit of sail trim to do because the breeze has come up a little bit, and it's shifted a little bit, which is... both of which are good for us.

WIESE: Ho!

Ho!

Ho!

- And every job that everybody was doing was important, whether it's, uh, you know, taking care of one line or just... - Ready to go!

- ...spending time with other people or there's people helping in the galley.

So there's always something to do.

- It's such a, like, unique and special experience.

It's very hard to describe to somebody who has no idea what they're getting into, but, like, just trying it for a little bit, you might find, like, something that absolutely changes your life.

And that's something I've seen way more often than not.

- I'm proud and I'm grateful to be a captain in this industry and help pave the way for other people following me.

One year, we kept a tally of how many times I was asked if I was the cook and how many times Nathan, who at the time, you know, was very inexperienced, how many times Nathan was asked if he was the captain.

But for decades, the only place for a woman on a boat was cooking.

But things are changing.

And if they're interested in sailing as a career or even as a hobby to pursue it, because it's amazing.

WIESE: You know, I guess the lesson here-- what is the lesson here?

We're in fourth place.

Some people would say we're out of the medal round, but I would say we are all winners.

- Absolutely.

WIESE: Because this was a cool event.

- Mm-hmm.

WIESE: Absolutely.

- It is, it is my great honor to award... the coaster class awards today.

In third place, she just walked away.

She gives great hug.

- Aww!

- The Lewis R. French!

(cheers and applause) NARRATOR: Under challenging conditions, the Great Schooner Race finished its 46th year with a nod to tradition and an eye to the future.

The Concord Museum is known for its extensive Revolutionary War collection.

It houses one of the original Paul Revere lanterns hung to warn that the British are coming.

It's a place to engage, gather, and reflect on the American story.

TRAVERSO: Tell me about the encampment that we have right outside.

- Oh, so we're so excited to have an encampment here at the museum for Patriots Day.

We have the active Minutemen who walk here in the morning to come here.

And it's an opportunity to really learn from these colonial crafts, whether they're making butter or, you know, weaving and just doing these very supportive tasks to help the soldiers as they prepare for battle.

(playing march) It's a wonderful opportunity to connect families and children to what life was like 250 years ago in the area.

So the Concord Museum has pretty much all of the firsthand objects of the Battle of the North Bridge.

Starting with the lantern, the iconic lantern, the signal lantern that was at the North Church, and to objects that were found over the period, from flints to muskets to spoons, the door of Barrett's house.

I mean, all sorts of wonderful, wonderful objects.

So if you come to the museum, you will really, truly find the story of that first battle of the American Revolution here.

TRAVERSO: Why do you feel it's important to keep this history so alive and vivid in our experience and imaginations?

- Well, here at the Concord Museum, we feel strongly that we continue to learn from the past, and that we want to continue to tell the stories of all Americans.

And I think that by doing so, we want to make sure that dialogue continues to happen around questions of liberty and equality and democracy.

And if there's ever a time when those conversations need to happen, it is now.

TRAVERSO: You know, one of the greatest things about living in New England is that there's so much history all around us.

Whether it's going to the Patriots Day celebrations in April or visiting a museum just like this, there are so many ways to connect to the American story.

NARRATOR: For exclusive videos, recipes, travel ideas, tips from the editors and access to the Weekends with Yankee digital magazine, go to weekendswithyankee.com, and follow us on social media, @yankeemagazine.

Yankee magazine, the inspiration for the television series, provides recipes, feature articles, and the best of New England from the people who know it best.

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– Major funding provided by: - Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts.

The first public park in America.

The first fried clams.

The first university in America.

The first basketball game.

What's first for you?

- Grady-White-- crafting offshore sport fishing boats for over 60 years.

- Country Carpenters-- handcrafted barns and homes for over 50 years.

- On an American Cruise Lines journey, you can explore historic New England.