Description
Giclée print of “Highlander Seas”, originally painted with oil by artist Scott Kennedy in 1996.
About painting Highlander Seas, formally Star Pilot
In 1996, the owner of the famed schooner Star Pilot (now Highlander Seas) contacted me to commission a painting of his ship.
Norman Paulsen, or Norm as I knew him, had a very endearing spirit when it came to wooden ships. Norm had purchased this great Gloucester schooner Pilot, renamed her Star Pilot, and then restored her.
Many knew Norm for his eccentricities. He was a disciple of the famed Indian Yogi “Paramhansa Yogananda”, founder of the spiritual commune Sunburst, and author of works describing the influence of UFO’s and aliens in the evolutionary process.
In preparation for the painting, I went to San Diego to stay with the ship. I went out with her on a sea trial to study and get to know her better. In the making of this oil painting, I did a large ink drawing first for my reference.
Star Pilot’s mishap
During my time with Star Pilot, I learned of her recent mishap:
While sailing northward from her passage out of the Panama Canal, she met a rogue wave. She dove into the vast chasm of the bottom of the trough, and then rose into a giant, engulfing wave.
The water crashed down hard onto her mid-ship’s deck and shook her violently. A loud cracking sound was heard deep below and her hull started to break up. She took on water so rapidly that all pumps enlisted could barely keep up.
The captain, Craig Chipman, and crew steered her into Turtle Bay, Baja California, in order to recover and discover what damage had been done. With emergency repairs by shipwright Rick Brown at Turtle Bay, Star Pilot was able to limp northward to her San Diego destination for a full survey and repair of her bottom structure.
Today, renamed Highlander Seas, she serves as a training vessel for young seafarers and is based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Similar artwork
Similar renderings include Kennedy’s oil painting “Schooner Kelpie” (known as the fastest schooner in the West), as well as another oil painting “Windjammer: Clipper Ship”. Also, check out the oil painting titled “Argus: Topsail Ketch”.
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