We are excited to announce the following vessels that will be participating in our Festival July 6-9th. More will be announced in the coming weeks so check back soon.

 

HMS Bounty

Known for the storied mutiny that took place in Tahiti in 1789 on board the British transport vessel, the current Bounty is one of the largest and most famous tall ships in the world with 18 sails and over 180 feet long. Built for the 1962 movie “Mutiny on the Bounty,” the HMS Bounty has appeared in many documentaries and featured films. This storied vessel is a vehicle for teaching the nearly lost arts of square-rigged sailing and seamanship.

The HMS Bounty offers various sail-training opportunities for teenagers to learn life lessons aboard the Bounty including a 6-week-long summer camp as well as a cadet program for teens who demonstrate the desire to work hard and complete the rigorous home study course. The Bounty also offers corporate sail training where business professionals can learn skills applicable to the business world.

 

Mystic Whaler

The Mystic Whaler is a reproduction of a late 19th century coastal cargo schooner designed for the passenger trade by Chubb Crockett of Camden, Maine.  She was built in 1967 in Tarpon Springs, Florida and was rebuilt in 1993 in Providence, Rhode Island.

The Mystic Whaler’s warm interior features Italian oak floors, fir wainscoting with mahogany accents, and modern amenities. The schooner meets or exceeds all Coast Guard standards for safety with an auxiliary diesel engine and generator and a full array of navigational equipment.

The schooner’s cruises allow children over the age of 5 to learn first hand how to raise sail to a sea chant and experience the thrill of turning the ships wooden wheel.

 

Unicorn

Originally built in 1947 as a motor fishing vessel, the Unicorn was converted into a sailing ship and renamed Eenhoorn or “one horn,” Dutch for unicorn, in 1979. She has sailed through the Mediterranean, West Indies, Caribbean and Spanish coasts as a treasure seeker. In 1995 the vessel became a member of the American Sail Training Association.

In 1999, Dawn and Jonathan (Jay) Santamaria of New Jersey bought the schooner, and in 2003, completed a bow to stern refit. She is now sailed by an all-female crew.

The current owners of the Unicorn create the leadership program, Sisters-Under-Sail, in 2005. The program is designed exclusively for teenage girls and the goal of the program is to take girls’ shipboard experience at sea and connect it to real-life lessons, making good choices and how those choices pay off in the end.

Since the inception of Sister-Under-Sail, 400 girls from all over the country and Canada have been put aboard the Unicorn. Sister-Under-Sail enroll all types of girls as well as serves under-represented teens who are making good choices, but need and deserve leadership opportunities and support.

 

Picton Castle

First built as a fishing trawler in Wales, the Picton Castle has worked as a minesweeper during WWII and a freighter in the north and Baltic seas. The Picton Castle was later converted into a square-rigged barque by Capt. Moreland, and acted as a schoolroom while serving as flagship for OCEAN98 and the South Pacific Region Environment Program distributing school supplies throughout the South Pacific.

The barque is 179 feet overall, with clear oiled-pine decks, steel masts, and wooden and steel yards and 12,450 square feet of canvas sail. The galley is on deck, and it features an 1893 cook stove similar to those used on commercial sailing ships 100 years ago.

The Picton Castle continues to carry supplies and educational materials to far away islands in the South Pacific, but the ship’s main mission is deep-ocean sail training and long-distance education. Sail trainees participate fully in the ship’s operation as well as in training classes in seamanship and navigation.

 

The Lynx

The Lynx is an interpretation of an actual privateer named Lynx built by Thomas Kemp in 1812. It was among the first ships to defend American freedom by evading the British naval fleet, and blockading American ports and serving in the important privateering efforts.

The Lynx that will be available for visitors in Newport this summer was built in 2001 in Rockport, Maine. It was the first square-rigged vessel built in Maine since 1885.

While many modern amenities have been added to the ship, the ambiance aboard still resembles a historic 1812 Baltimore clipper schooner.

To enhance the historic experience for visitors, the permanent crew of the Lynx wears uniforms and operates the ship similarly to the maritime traditions of early 19th Century America.

The Lynx offers a complete syllabus that seamlessly introduces the Lynx program into existing 5th and 8th grade American history courses.

The Lynx curriculum combines traditional maritime instruction with modern educational requirements. It offers teachers a way to teach by example and focus student attention.

 

The Gazela

The 177-foot barkentine, Gazela, was built in Portugal, and her records date back to 1901. It was originally built to carry fishermen to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.

The Gazela has sailed up and down the east coast for the Maritime Museum and the Penn’s Landing Corporation during which it had extensive maintenance and repairs. In 1990, the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild assumed ownership and continues to this day.

The Gazela has a strong volunteer program, and is the good-will ambassador for the international seaport of Philadelphia.

The barkentine has extended its range of activities to include a movie career with parts in “Interview with the Vampire,” starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt;

the PBS documentary, “The Irish in America: The Long Journey Home” and “La Veuve de St. Pierre,” a French film released in Paris.

The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life was first launched in 1991 by Covey Island Boatworks, and built in Nova Scotia, Canada. With its 4,800 square feet of sail, and room to sleep 12, this beautiful schooner has a paneled interior of koa and teak. The Tree of Life has circumnavigated the globe and now sails up and down the New England coast from its home port of Newport, R.I.

The crew of the ship conducts sail training for volunteers and trainees, both young and old, and provides them with sea education in marine science and maritime history.

 

The Pride of Baltimore II

Pride of Baltimore II is a reproduction of an 1812-era topsail schooner privateer. These vessels were called Baltimore Clippers, and aided in the winning of the War of 1812.  Berthed in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, the privateer is Maryland’s working symbol of the great natural resources and spectacular beauty of the Chesapeake Bay region.

The Pride II weighs in at 185.5 long tons, and measures 157 feet long. Its keel and all the other framing and planking materials were shaped out of Central American hardwoods from Belize. Pride of Baltimore II was hoisted aloft and launched from its Inner Harbor birthplace on April 30, 1988. Since then The Pride II has sailed over 20,000 miles, and visited over 200 ports in 40 countries in North, South and Central America, Europe and Asia.

Pride of Baltimore II’s mission is to educate the public on U.S. maritime history and Maryland commerce opportunities aboard the worlds most traveled historic ship.

 

The Providence

This 110 -foot fully rigged sailing vessel is the faithful replica of the first commissioned ship into the Continental Navy, and John Paul Jones’ first command. The replica was built in 1975 in Portsmouth, RI for the bicentennial of 1976.

During its Naval career, The Providence sank or captured 40 British enemy ships. The Providence is the official flagship and tall ship ambassador for the state of Rhode Island, and has won the “Best Dressed Vessel” award from the Sailing Ambassador.

Berthed in Providence, RI, today it participates in tall ships events, sail training, educational programs, movies and special events.

Summerwind

The Summerwind was originally built in 1929 under the name of Queen Tyi for a Wall Street banker, but was lost when the market crashed. The vessel was launched from the yard of Lyman-Morse in Thomastown, Maine. Renamed the Sea Gypsy, the vessel served as part of the Costal Picket Patrol during World War II. The original ship was a classic gaff rig, and was converted to a staysail schooner when it began chartering the Mediterranean. Purchased in 2006 while in Spain, the ship was transported to Palm Beach, Florida where it underwent major restorations. The sail of the ship was once again updated to make it a champion racer.

The entire ship was replanked, each individual structural element was evaluated and restored and the engineering systems were redesigned. The ship was then given its current name Summerwind.

The Summerind was donated in 2009 to the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York. There, the vessel is a tool for sail training, and is used to teach Midshipmen how to maintain a high performance classic yacht. The Summerwind travels the East Coast as the Academy’s flagship and ambassador.

 

The Spirit of Massachusetts

In 1984 the Spirit of Massachusetts was launched from the Charleston Navy Yard in Boston, MA. The vessel was modeled after the 1889-fishing schooner, Fredonia. These Gloucester fishing schooners were known as “fast and able,” and the Fredonia was known for its speed, which is fully embodied in the Spirit of Massachusetts.

The Spirit of Massachusetts is 125 feet long, features eight sails, and weighs in at 90 tons. The vessel’s frame is built of white oak, and its deck of Douglas fir.

The ship’s original owners built it as a sail-training vessel for young people. It also served as the good-will ambassador for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1984 to 1987. In 1997, Ocean Classroom began chartering the Spirit for its own educational purposes and in 2000 claimed ownership. Today, the Spirit of Massachusetts is used in voyages for students and teachers in which traditions, values and adventures of maritime life are taught.

The Sir Martin II

The Sir Martin II is a custom crafted Tall Ship, built in Holland to German Naval Standards in 1978. This 100 ton Gaff-rigged vessel was originally used as a sail training ship for the German Navy, but has since been converted to a private yacht.

With safety equipment that exceeds US Coast Guard Standards, Sir Martin II is 97 feet long from fantail to bowsprit and 85 feet long on the deck. This beautiful Tall Ship offers only the highest standards of seamanship and hospitality due to its professional and experienced crew. The interior of Sir Martin II is spacious and beautifully finished, and boasts uncluttered teak decks.