“Circus Flora” a Bright, One-of-a-Kind Experience

by Harry Hamm

from CBS St Louis

June 7, 2011

Artistic Director and Producer Ivor David Balding is a bit of a circus and show business legend in his own right.
A prominent producer of 21 shows on Broadway, Balding has also worked with Joseph Papp, the legendary Eve La Gallienne, CBS Sports and been a successful artistic director for many entertainment and circus endeavors. Since co-founding Circus Flora in 1985, the gallant one-ring circus with a heart has become a summertime staple in St. Louis, enjoyed and celebrated by thousands.

The 25th Anniversary Jubilee edition, named “Vagabond Adventures,” is splendid big top entertainment, full of the color, comedy and animal acts you expect in a circus, plus the very special talents of the tumbling & gymnastic displays of a group of youngsters called The St. Louis Arches. But beyond that, Circus Flora has added some daring performers who will dazzle you with their fearless feats.

The Flying Wallendas are the premiere family of high-wire acts.

Una Mimnagh, a specialist in aerial arts, is world-famous for her skills and unique abilities high above the circus floor.

The Flying Pages are one of the most exciting trapeze acts in the world.
But what I think is most special about Circus Flora is its very personalized approach. You’ll not only be close to all the action, but the performers themselves will greet you as you leave. It may well be a kind of enchanting experience your family has never had.
It really is a thrill to shake the hand of a guy you just saw do a triple somersault on the flying trapeze.

Former circus performer works his magic on Las Vegas

Jerry Henkel/View
Armando Farfan Jr. works May 27 on a sculpture, which will be used as part of an art display at a Broadway Cares benefit for AIDS in New York City. Farfan started as a flying trapeze artist and now works as a rigger for a Cirque du Soleil show.

By AMANDA DONNELLYVIEW STAFF WRITER

Posted: Jun. 7, 2011

The life of Armando Farfan Jr., a sixth-generation circus performer, has been a lot of things: fun, overwhelming, exciting, uplifting. But boring? Never.
Farfan, a southwest Las Vegas resident, began performing with his parents as a flying trapeze artist at 6 years old in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
"That didn't leave much time for kid things like sports because there was always this fear of injury," he said. "But I think from a young age I learned a tremendous work ethic. If you were sick, if you were having a bad day, the show still had to go on. You just pushed through, and that's what we all did."
At 7, Farfan caught the eye of renowned photographer Jill Krementz, who made him the subject of the fourth book in her Very Young series, titled "A Very Young Circus Flyer."
"That was such an honor," he said. "It still is , a lthough I don't think I fully understood it at the time."
Through the years, Farfan has worked as a circus and aerial consultant on shows such as Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" sequel "Love Never Dies."
Farfan collaborated with Jerry Mitchell in 2000 on "EFX" at the MGM Grand.
" I've been blessed to do a great bit in my life," he said. "I've had a lot of creative freedom, and that has a lot of value to me."
Farfan currently works as a rigger for one of the Cirque du Soleil shows (which he prefers not to name) and said his schedule allows him the time to work on his sculptures and art.
Farfan said he also has designed aerial arts for venues around the world, including projects for MGM, Mandalay Bay, Treasure Island, Bellagio and Studio 54.
Farfan said he has love for the aerial arts but sustains an equal passion for art in general.

Armando Farfan Jr. has created pieces for Celine Dion and Bette Midler's shows.

Jerry Henkel/View
"I've been a sculptor and artist for a long time, and I love it," he said. "I've been lucky enough to create pieces for shows like the Celine Dion show 'A New Day' and Bette Midler's 'The Showgirl Must Go On.' "
Farfan said he's currently working on wings for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
" I like pieces with a whimsical theme," he said. "So I will do some of that, but it isn't all that I do."
Farfan said his artwork is born from mediums such as welding, brazing and working with various types of metals.
Friend and apprentice Richard Meeker said Farfan has taught him a great deal.
"I really enjoy working with Armando," he said.
Farfan said he takes up the trapeze again on occasion, mainly for charity.
"There are instances where I will do it, and they're usually for a good cause," he said. "I've had a wonderful life that continues to challenge me and make me smile. No complaints here. I've got it good."

Circus Historical Society 2011 Convention
June 8-11, 2011 Fort Mitchell, Kentucky

The Convention takes place at the Drawbridge Inn, Fort Mitchell, Kentucky from June 8 to June 11. In addition to a special tour of exhibit on the Strobridge posters at the Cincinnati Art Museum, a number of presentations featuring circus posters will be made

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE

A GREAT TIME!

After Ringling snub, Coney gets another circus operator

OK, so Ringling Bros. is gone, but another circus is coming to Coney Island.

June 7, 2011 / Brooklyn news / Not Just Nets / Coney Island
by Alex Rush, The Brooklyn Paper
Who needs Ringling Brothers? A new circus is coming to Coney!
Vidbel Circus, a one-ring extravaganza featuring trapeze artists, jugglers and equestrians, will run from July 4 through Labor Day in a lot near the Boardwalk on Stillwell Avenue.
Shows will be held five days a week, making Vidbel a fitting replacement for the so-called “Greatest Show on Earth,” which folded up its tent after just two summers in the People’s Playground.
The one-year deal for Vidbel was first reported by the blog, Amusing the Zillion.
“I grew up in New York so it’s great to be performing in Coney Island,” said trapeze artist Susan Vidbel-Ashton, a third-generation circus performer whose grandfather Alfred Vidbel founded Vidbel Circus in 1984.
Like Ringling Bros., Vidbel will have a variety of kitschy acts, including magicians, clowns and jugglers. Highlights include a bareback equestrian who somersaults from one horse to the next, and an archery expert who shoots an apple off his wife’s head.
Show times and prices have not been determined, but tickets will likely be around $10 — the cost of a Ringling Bros. ducat — according to Ashton-Vidbel. The tent will hold 600 people, far smaller than the 2,300-seat big top that Ringling Bros. brought to Coney.
Central Amusement International, the Italian-based outfit that also runs Scream Zone and Luna Park, operates Vidbel’s Coney Island site. The company is leasing seven acres from the city to fulfill Mayor Bloomberg’s long-term revitalization plan, and its deal with Vidbel is another step in transforming the once-neglected area into a year-round tourist destination.
“It’s great to have a circus coming in and fill up an empty lot,” said Charles Denson, who runs the Coney Island History Project at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park.
The Vidbel Circus’s debut will be a high point in the emotional roller coaster that is Coney Island: Ringling Bros. first ditched its site on W. 21st Street near Surf Avenue in March, but Borough President Markowitz’s Summer Concert Series will take over the space.
On the negative side, the beloved Siren Music Festival abandoned Coney for West Brooklyn, but that devastating move has been somewhat mitigated by new attractions like Scream Zone.
For info, visit www.circusvidbel.com.

Learn about the science behind the circus

BY MICHAEL PANTELIDISeditorial@queenscourier.com

Monday, June 6, 2011

Queens, NY--Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, young and old, and learn what it takes to join the circus. With or without a degree from Clown College, the New York Hall of Science is giving its visitors the rare opportunity to witness the bizarre, behind-the-scenes world of the circus, with its "Circus! Science Under The Big Top" exhibit.
“The exhibit explores the science behind the circus,” said Mary Record, the director of communications for the New York Hall of Science. “The balance and skill that is needed and all the physics behind the circus are displayed in a fun, hands-on way.” It is the first time the exhibit, which is produced by the Ontario Science Center, will visit New York. It is free with general museum admission and is open from June 11 through September 4.
Museum visitors can get a workout by walking the high wire, soaring through the air as an acrobat and staying steady on the balance bar. Edifying activities are also available, such as lessons in parlari, the private language of circus folk and animal training seminars, during which visitors will learn the subtle communicational differences exhibited by lions, gorillas and elephants. Included is a lesson on the legendary circus animals – Gargantua the Great and Jumbo the Elephant.
However, it’s not all fun and games. Visitors will also learn to distinguish between the dung of different animals by comparing fake droppings, and those brave enough will find out what is really in a corn dog.
After the training is complete, the show begins. The patrons become the performers, as guests are given an expedited education in the science of being a clown in Clown Alley, and then setout to make their friends, family and unsuspecting strangers laugh. In the costume area, visitors will be allowed to dress up as clowns, strongmen, lions, tigers and bears and entertain the audience. Music lovers can get behind the keyboard and play their favorite circus tunes.
“When we look for new exhibits, we look for things that are fun and that would appeal to our audience,” said Record. “I think everyone when they were a kid wanted to run away and join the Circus, so it appeals to kids and adults alike.”
Regardless of age, this summer at the New York Hall of Science, even the most brilliant scientists will be given the opportunity to behave like clowns.

Butterflies are parents, too, at least at Cirque

For the Ukrainian couple who perform the butterfly love duet in "Ovo," Cirque life is the only work life they know.

Svetlana Kashevarova, Dmitry Orel, and their children, Andrey, 15, and Anna, 4, Wednesday afternoon at Cirque du Soleil's encampment in Bloomington

Article by: ROHAN PRESTON , Minneapolis Star Tribune

June 6, 2011

The motto for Dmitry Orel and Svetlana Kashevarova might as well be "the family that Cirques together stays together."
The two aerial acrobats, who perform the butterfly love duet in Cirque du Soleil's "Ovo" at the Mall of America through June 19, mark their lives through the circus. They have spent much of their 16 years of marriage in the air -- both performing onstage and traveling to circuses in Europe, Asia and, since last year, the United States.
The Ukrainian natives bring their two children -- Andrey, 15, and Anna, 4 -- along for the ride, instilling in them the same values and preparing them, if they should choose, for a life under big tents. Cool teen Andrey, who trains with his father, hopes to join the circus in two years. Anna is teething.
The kids keep up with their studies in English and their native Ukrainian via onsite and online tutoring, the parents explained last week in an interview in the tent city behind Cirque's grand chapiteau in Bloomington.
If it were up to Kashevarova, who grew up in the circus, she would never settle down in any one spot. The apartment they keep in Kiev is a touchstone that they return to during longer layoffs from the circus. But the two-week break they have from "Ovo" -- the show goes to Chicago in 50 trailers after it closes at the Mall of America -- is not enough time to make the long trip home, so they explore wherever they are.
This is the most exciting life she knows, Kashevarova said through an interpreter. Things are constantly changing. They get to have new experiences and encounters everywhere they go, including Switzerland, which they described as a fairy tale with cute houses and kind people. Why would she want to do anything else?read more at: http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/stageandarts/123255908.html

Looking Back: The Sells Brothers Circus has come to town

Monday, June 06, 2011

By Dave LeMieux The Muskegon Chronicle
This week 128 years ago…
Excitement reached a fever pitch when the long-awaited Sells Brothers Circus arrived in Muskegon.
The Chronicle said on June 6, 1883
The Sells Brothers Circus is here and sightseers are having their appetites appeased.
It arrived this morning bright and early and at once began the work of unloading and removing to the grounds wagons, animals and paraphernalia usually belonging to a circus.
This operation was watched with interest by many people whose minds are frequently carried away by thoughts of youthful days when they themselves carried water for the elephants or obtained admission by sneaking under the tent at some opportune moment when the lazy showman had dropped in the arms of the goddess of sleep.
Hundreds of people from the surrounding towns arrived on the morning trains and passed their time munching peanuts, chewing gumdrops and parading up and down the streets unmindful of the consequences.
The maidens from the country meandering up the street, locked arms with some rural swain, predominated and caused many a look of jealousy to spring from the orbits of Muskegon dudes.
The sidewalks were crowded with a surging mass of people who were going — no one knew where.

Chronicle file photo
A circus parade makes its way along West Western Avenue in downtown Muskegon on June 6, 1901.
At eleven o’clock a band of music heralded the approach of the procession. Hundreds of heads peeped out of upper windows, many foolish people clambered on the tops of buildings, unmindful of the prospect of breaking their necks or limbs, and other lined the sidewalks.
The procession was fine, embracing chariots, animal wagons, courtiers on horseback, elephants, clowns, camels, three brass bands, a martial band and a steam piano.
At the tail of the parade were the two large advertising wagons that Barnum has had in the city for a week past and considerable amusement was occasioned by the Sells Bros. having men with large banners walking alongside the wagons to destroy the effect of the advertisement.read more at:http://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/06/looking_back_the_sells_brother.html

PATRICK'S PEOPLE:

John Davenport has been called the youngest human cannonball

SEAN STEFFEN/THE MORNING SUN.

Jon Davenport, 15, AKA Johnny Rocket, stands by the special cannon that blasts him into a safety net during his act in the Big Top Circus. The fifth generation in a family of circus performers, he also serves as a juggler, clown and ring master.

By NIKKI PATRICK

The Morning Sun, Jun 05, 2011

PITTSBURG, KS — It’s not that uncommon for teens to have part-time jobs, but it is pretty unusual for the job to involve being shot out of a cannon.
John Davenport, 15, AKA Johnny Rocket, does that on a regular basis at the Big Top Circus.
“I’m also a juggler, a clown and ring master,” he added Saturday morning as he took a break from helping set up the Big Top Circus. “My family has been in the circus for five generations, so this is in my blood.”
The circus, housed in a brand new European style blue and yellow tent, had two shows Saturday, and will have performances at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. today.
“We’ve got acrobats, pony rides and a petting zoo where kids can pet the animals and get their pictures taken,” Davenport said.
But one of the main attractions is him. Davenport is billed as the youngest human cannonball in the business. It’s not a popular career choice — there are probably around five human cannonballs working in the United States and not more than 20 or so in the world.
“I started doing it two years ago, when I was 13,” Davenport said.
Actually, history records that the very first human cannonball, who flew a distance of about 30 feet in 1877 at the Royal Aquarium in London, was only 14.
A pretty girl, trained in ballet and gymnastics, she was introduced to the crowd as Zazel, though her actual name was Rossa Matilda Richter. She went on to have a successful career and toured with the P.T. Barnum Circus before retiring in the fall of 1891 after missing the safety net in a shot and suffering a back injury.
The apparatus that launched her flight was invented by William Leonard Hunt, a former acrobat who arranged entertainment events at the Royal Aquarium. Human cannonballs aren’t shot from a regular cannon using gunpowder, but are launched from a modified cannon that uses a spring or a jet of compressed air.
“The first time you do it, yeah, it can be scary, but you get used to it,” Davenport said.He said that the circus is on the road giving shows 10 1/2 months of the year across the United States.
“It’s fun seeing the whole country,” Davenport said. “One of my favorite places is to go is Minnesota. We’re stop in November and go to Texas, then start back up the first week in January.”
Does the youngest human cannonball ever dream of running away from the circus and becoming a doctor, accountant or lawyer?
Nope, no way.
“I hope this is my career right here,” Davenport said.
Circus stars scale dizzy heights

Big Top Circus comes to Pittsburg

Raika Dresdner performs with numerous Hula Hoops Saturday evening during the first of two shows the Big Top Circus put on in Pittsburg. The Big Top Circus will have two shows today, at 2 and 4 p.m.

PITTSBURG — The Big Top Circus landed in town Saturday, and throngs of Pittsburg area residents turned out to watch the young performers.
They rode in from Dallas and aren’t sure where they’re going next, but they performed their acts with passion nonetheless. And the family-run show is put on entirely by the youngsters. There was Johnny Davenport, the juggler, clown and human cannonball.
And Jordan Dresdner, the ringmaster who with his brothers, Robinson and Fenix, performs an Argentinean gaucho act. Zaira Davenport, Johnny’s sister, sells concessions when she’s not in the ring as a contortionist. The Dresdner sister, Raika, somehow manages to get 109 hula hoops spinning at once.

Contortionist Zaira Davenport entertains the audience with her act during the Big Top Circus performance Saturday evening in Pittsburg.
“It’s actually pretty easy,” said Jordan, who started performing when he was 10-years-old. “The most challenging part of the circus is practicing. We practice at least two times a day.”
The one-ring, European-style circus is in the Davenport and Dresdner blood.
“We’ve been doing this for generations,” Johnny said. “My grandfathers’ grandfathers were in the circus.”
For 10 and a half months, from January to November, they travel from city to town, sending ahead drivers to distribute ticket coupons other advertising. When they arrive, setting up takes about five hours, Johnny said. After the last show they tear it all down in about three hours. It’s never-ending work, but it’s worth it when they enter the ring and hear the applause.
“We hope they think that it’s pretty cool,” Jordan said. “It’s not something everybody can do.”
Pittsburg business owner Mike Seely has been enthralled by circuses for years. He has a stack of circus posts several feet thick, and in 1975 almost joined a passing circus.
“The guy offered me the job of general manager, but I wouldn’t budge on the last $50 of my salary,” Seely said. “I wish I’d made a different decision.”
Seely said he’s been going to see the Big Toppers for years.
“I knew their grandfathers when they came through,” Seely said, adding that the draw for him must be similar to what the performers must feel. “It gets in your blood. I always said I’m going to join one when I retire.”
Tabetha Reding brought her children to the circus to see cartoon characters Sponge Bob Square Pants and his friend, Patrick.
“They’ve never been to a circus before,” Reding said. “As long as it makes the kids happy, I’m happy.”
The Big Top Circus will perform two shows today, at 2 and 4 p.m.

Circus stars scale dizzy heights

The Business Times

Fri, Jun 03, 2011

from: asiaone.com, By Lester Hio
CANADIAN circus act Cirque Eloize makes its debut in Singapore with its explosive urban dance and circus act Cirque Eloize iD.
Instead of the stuffy confines of a circus tent, be prepared to be amazed in the comfort of Marina Bay Sands' Grand Theater, as the two-hour show wows you with incredible displays of acrobatic stunts and tricks that you wouldn't think were humanly possible.
This is, however, no ordinary circus act. Director Jeannot Painchaud believes in a multidisciplinary approach to his acts, and iD is a modern hybrid of circus and urban dance set against a stunning visual backdrop of computer graphics and electronic soundtrack.
The set is hardly static-lighting and visual effects imbue the act with a dizzying 3-D intensity, where the backdrop of a city in the midst of urban decay just pops right out.
The heavily electronica-laced soundtrack, the original composition of indie artist Jean-Phi Goncalves, infuses the entire act with an incredibly realistic street cred that will speak to the street-roaming young. Think heavy pulsating beats, mingled with elements of hip-hop, rock and trance, and you get a sense of the slightly otherworldly feelings the music inspires.

A dance duet between the roller blader and the gymnast on aerial silks

iD explores the issues of identity and individuality in a culture where omnipresent images cause the individual to lose all reference points. This message manifests itself very well in the show - the shifting backdrop, the fluctuating soundtrack, and the fluid, amorphous acts of the performers.
Cirque Eloize iD begins with an impressive showing of acrobatic skill from Dmytro Bogodist and Alona Burlachenko, who performed a dance duet that mixed contemporary dance with acrobatic feats that set the tone for the rest of the show.
As the show progresses, the music gets harder and the acts get more excitingly frantic. An urban dance-off set to a heavy electronic soundtrack sets the stage for the main conflict of the show, which is heavily reminiscent of West Side Story, but with a more urban, ghetto twist.
A flurry of activity on stage, with a group breakdance-off, surrounds the impressive showing of Fletcher Sanchez on the Chinese pole, where he shimmies up with an astoundingly fluid grace before seemingly defying gravity by extending his entire body near-perpendicular to the pole.
It all builds up to a wonderful climax where he slides down the pole face-first, which will leave you gasping in fear as he stops just in time to narrowly avoid making an acquaintance with the floor with his face.
And that's just the beginning.
READ MORE AT: http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20110603-282254.html

SUNDAY FUNNIES

ANIMALS HIT HEADLINES

30 second quickies, from Mike Naughton

1961

double click on each to watch movie, thanks!

1968

ACROBATS OVER CHICAGO

1940's

Circus Flora shines in debut of its 25th season

Wednesday June 1, 2011--Performers Sidney "Iking" Bateman and Jessica Hentoff with Circus Flora juggle in the ring at the start of the 2011 show, Vagabond Adventures, during a dress rehearsal in St. Louis on Wednesday. David Carson dcarson@post-dispatch.com

Wednesday June 1, 2011--Aurelia Wallenda a performer with Circus Flora goes through her routine as part of the 2011 show, Vagabond Adventures, during a dress rehearsal on Wednesday. David Carson dcarson@post-dispatch.com

David Carson Wednesday June 1, 2011--David Donnert, a member of the The Riding Donnerts, goes through his routine as part of the 2011 show, Vagabond Adventures, during a dress rehearsal on Wednesday. David Carson dcarson@post-dispatch.com

The Olate Dogs perform during a dress rehearsal for Circus Flora's 2011 show, Vagabond Adventures, in St. Louis on Wednesday. David Carson dcarson@post-dispatch.com
Una Mimnagh, top, and Giovanni Zoppe perform during a dress rehearsal for Circus Flora's 2011 show, Vagabond Adventures, in St. Louis on Wednesday. David Carson dcarson@post-dispatch.com

Members of the The Flying Wallendas perform during a dress rehearsal for Circus Flora's 2011 show, Vagabond Adventures, in St. Louis on Wednesday. David Carson dcarson@post-dispatch.com

Members of the St. Louis Arches perform during a dress rehearsal for Circus Flora's 2011 show, Vagabond Adventures, in St. Louis on Wednesday. David Carson dcarson@post-dispatch.com

Circus is back on at fairgrounds

2-day event set for June 18-19

By TONY EVANS Express Staff Writer
After losing a nonprofit sponsor and canceling performance dates, the Carson and Barnes Circus will come to Blaine County after all.
The Carey Rodeo Association will host the European-style big-top circus at the Blaine County Fairgrounds in Carey for four two-hour shows on June 18 and 19.
"It's a difficult thing booking a circus. Finding a place to park for two days is not easy," said Sasha Fry, a spokeswoman for the Carson and Barnes Circus and a former trapeze artist from Oklahoma. Fry's grandmother was a wire-walker. Her grandfather was a horseback trick rider.The family-owned Carson and Barnes Circus is celebrating its 75th anniversary tour this summer with additional dates in Pocatello and Rupert.
"Dropping two days from our tour was not an option," Fry said. "The circus travels with animals and they have to have some place to go."
Those animals include three elephants and an assortment of camels, pygmy hippos and horses and ponies. About 75 people travel with the circus, including performers.
Tickets for the circus will cost $20 for adults and $10 for kids. Elephant and camel rides will cost $6.
The circus will take place under a big-top tent and feature performances by trapeze artists, contortionists, clowns and others.
"This is kid-friendly family entertainment," Fry said.

Gymnasts join the circus

Youngsters from the North Devon Display Gymnastics Club are joined by clowns Patchy and Pepito as they practice beside the Big Top.FROM: www.northdevongazette.co.uk

Thursday, June 2, 2011

YOUNG North Devon gymnasts joined the circus for a day when they were given the opportunity to perform in the big top of Paulo’s Circus Americano in Victoria Park, Bideford, on Sunday...To send a link to this page to a friend, you must be logged in... The youngsters put on a 15-minute show and were well received.
Charles Moore, chairman of the North Devon Display Gymnastics Club, said it all began when some of them went to the circus and were taken by the skills and techniques of the trapeze artist and how some of this might fit into gymnastics.
After discussion with the circus they were invited to perform and their coaches and display team were delighted to do so.
“This is gymnastics, the oldest form of sport, teaming up with the circus, which is the oldest form of entertainment,” he said.
The North Devon Display Gymnastics Club has a membership of 300 young people aged from one to 18 years and fully qualified coaches, said Mr Moore. They did displays and competitions, but were there for everyone to enjoy the sport and the training, not just for elite performers.
The club has a main base at Kingsley School in Bideford and also has venues in Torrington, Barnstaple and Holsworthy.
Paulo’s Circus has now moved on to Bude, where it will be entertaining until June 5, and the young gymnasts will also be performing there at 2pm this Saturday.

FLORIAN RICHTER 2010

Peeking into the past--

Ringling Bros. Circus in Pittston, PA in 1949

With Judy Minsavagefrom www.timesleader.com

June 5, 2011

A column in the June 5, 1949, issue of the Sunday Dispatch stated that Pittston was the site of an event that was the last of its kind. What was it?

1949 – 62 Years Ago
Bone Stadium was the site of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus with Pittston City and school district benefiting. A 10 per cent amusement tax was collected on $26,000 of admissions, netting the city and district $1,312.73 each. Estimates were that the circus probably grossed another $25,000 in concession sales and sideshows.

The city received $37.50 for vendor’s license, $55 for concession permits and $5 for sideshow permits.

Dolly Parton's new show sets sail in Myrtle Beach