This summer, Cal Poly Maritime Academy Superintendent Eric C. Jones returned to U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, the legendary Coast Guard training ship he once commanded, to compete in the historic Five Sisters Race between New York and Boston. 

For Rear Adm. Jones (Ret.), this summer’s Five Sisters Race was more than an offshore sailing competition. It marked a return to USCGC Eagle, the iconic tall ship that helped shape his Coast Guard career, during the race’s first running in 50 years. Sailing aboard Eagle, Jones helped the crew earn a second-place finish in the Five Sisters Race. 

More than a decade ago, Jones served as Eagle’s 30th commanding officer, leading the Coast Guard’s sail training vessel from 2009 to 2012 while overseeing the hands-on development of Coast Guard Academy cadets under sail. 

Part of the Sail250 celebration commemorating America’s 250th anniversary, the Five Sisters Race reunited four identical Class A tall ships originally built by Blohm + Voss in Hamburg, Germany. Revived for the first time in 50 years, the race marked the first reunion of the four active sister ships: Gorch Fock of Germany, USCGC Eagle of the United States, NRP Sagres of Portugal and Mircea of Romania. The ships competed under sail alone from New York to Boston for the historic Five Sisters Cup, a Tiffany & Co.-designed trophy first awarded in 1976.

Germany’s Gorch Fock claimed the Five Sisters Cup, followed by Eagle in second place, Sagres in third and Mircea in fourth. Beyond the competition, the race celebrated international maritime heritage and the enduring tradition of sail training. For Jones, competing aboard Eagle was an opportunity to reconnect with the vessel and revisit the teamwork, leadership and seamanship that have shaped his career. 

Jones’ relationship with Eagle spans decades. Early in his Coast Guard career, he served aboard the ship as navigator before becoming executive officer and, ultimately, commanding officer, a rare progression that provided him with a unique perspective on one of the Coast Guard’s most recognizable vessels. 

During his command, Eagle completed annual Summer Sea Term-style training cruises for Coast Guard Academy cadets while serving as an ambassador for the United States during domestic and international port visits. Jones also led the ship through its 75th anniversary in 2011, including a return voyage to Germany, where the vessel was built in 1936 as the training ship Horst Wessel. 

Following his command of Eagle, Jones continued a Coast Guard career spanning more than 35 years in operational, staff and executive leadership roles. He ultimately served as assistant commandant for human resources, overseeing workforce policy, recruiting, leadership development and personnel programs for more than 55,000 active-duty, reserve and civilian members before retiring as a rear admiral. 

Today, Jones leads Cal Poly Maritime Academy, the only degree-granting maritime academy on the West Coast. As superintendent, he oversees programs that prepare students for careers in commercial shipping, government service, the military and the growing blue economy through Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy. 

The connection between Eagle and Cal Poly Maritime Academy extends beyond Jones’ career. Like Summer Sea Term aboard Training Ship Golden Bear and soon aboard National Security Multi-Mission Vessel Golden State, Eagle serves as a floating classroom where students develop technical expertise, leadership skills and confidence through real-world experience at sea. 

For Jones, returning to Eagle for the Five Sisters Race represented a full circle moment. The leadership, seamanship and commitment to experiential learning that he now champions at Cal Poly Maritime Academy were forged aboard the very vessel that, nearly 15 years after his command, again made history as one of the world’s premier training ships.