All it takes is one big gust to put the wind back in your sails. For the Tall Ship Windy—a 148-foot sail boat docked at Navy Pier—that wind came in the form of Captain Bruce Randall and his wife, Karen, who purchased the boat in 2008. Instead of the one-size-fits-all skyline tours the boat conducted in its previous incarnation, the pair set out to turn Windy into a vessel for educational and kid-friendly programming.
To that end, they brought on Orion Couling, a former theater director with a background in stage combat, as Windy’s educational coordinator and artistic director.
“They hired me to breathe new life into the programming,” Couling says, labeling himself as an historical interpreter who uses performance to enhance learning.
Couling has taken an active role developing themed public tours and educational adventures for a wide range of student and youth groups. The ship has even opened its deck to blind student groups. “Anyone who wants to come out, we’re open to it,” Captain Randall says. “It’s great to get out and feel the wind and the ship move. [The ship] is just a venue. The difference is what we do with it. ”
Couling helped create the schooner’s current roster of sailing trips, which offer lessons on topics ranging from physics to ecology. On Windy’s “Green Sail,” passengers learn about alternative energy sources, and preserving natural resources. “From Canoes to Clippers” looks at Chicago maritime history from the 1600s to the present, with Couling kicking things off with a silent minute of “time travel” when he encourages passengers to close their eyes and listen to the sounds of the sails, and later, the crew singing old sailor songs.
Most popular with kids is “Real Pirates of the Inland Seas,” where they learn that bands of unsavories cruised the same waters they’re sailing on. Still, it’s all about a good time—Couling bounces around the deck in period clothes, slipping in and out of his best pirate voice. “It’s theatrical—but still rooted in history,” he says.
“[Kids] really want to be a part of this hands-on adventure,” Couling adds. From manning the sails to taking the wheel, passengers of all ages are encouraged to be part of the crew on the 60- to 75-minute tours, when props such as beaver fur and compasses are passed around.
While interactive activities unfold on the main deck for about 20 minutes, the ship’s other two decks are open to guests who prefer listening to seagulls rather than storytellers. “You want the skyline?,” Randall says. “It’s still there.”
Tall Ship Windy’s daily sails are $24, seniors and students $20, kids ages 3–12 $10, under 3 free. (The June 14 sail for TOC Kids readers is $10 for everyone.) Buy tickets at tallshipwindy.com or at the Navy Pier box office.
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