Joseph Davis, President US TallShips Inc

A Vision to Use a Ship as a Goodwill Ambassador

Joseph Davis, called Skip by friends and associates, is a fascinating man. He writes in his letter as President of US TallShips, "I grew up on a ship." He quotes American Presidents with ease, has produced an Oscar nominated film, worked in IT for a Fortune 500 company, studied sculpture, and has friends all over the world. As President of US TallShips he is working to see his lifetime dream of building a five-masted ship come to fruition.

What is US TallShips? US TallShips Inc. seeks to build a five-masted ship to be used for educational purposes in ports around the world. "Our ultimate goal is to inspire students to share their new understanding with peers at home, and to use their personal sphere of influence to bring about positive global change." Skip outlines a plan for a five-masted tall ship to be built in the United States; to serve as an educational opportunity for American and International students to work and learn together in an environment that demands teamwork by its very nature. His vision is to use the experience of sailing to help young people overcome their prejudices and let go of their self imposed cultural boundaries.

I ask what does he mean when he said he grew up on a ship. His answer surprises me. His parents began research to build a schooner in 1955, and building began in 1968. Skip cannot remember a time when there wasn't a boat. He explains, "you know most toddlers have that plastic toy with the hammer and the pegs? I had a starboard rail, and the builders had the pegs in the wood and I went down the rail pounding them in." The 136' schooner "The Bill of Rights" launched in 1971 and he spent every summer from June until September aboard it until he was 19 years old. I have to agree, that qualifies as growing up on a boat.