Seamanship Training On Board 1877 Tall Ship Elissa To Begin August 27

An orientation meeting for seamanship training on the restored 1877 ELISSA, is scheduled for Saturday, August 27, 1:30 to 5 p.m., at the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston at 22nd and Harborside Drive. The orientation is open to the public and free of charge.

During the orientation, individuals will get information on the Seamanship Training Program and a tour of the ship. Following a film presentation on the ship’s history, there will be a discussion of what is involved in joining the crew with experienced crewmembers demonstrating maintenance projects and sail handling.

Those who participate in the Seamanship Training Program have the opportunity to learn ancient skills and techniques on maintaining a square-rigged sailing ship. Volunteers may learn to climb ELISSA’s rigging to set and furl sails and maintain the intricate machinery of wood, wire and rope. These tasks require skill and bravery, as the ship’s main mast towers 99 feet above deck. After completing the classes, which take place on designated Saturdays, and contributing the required hours of work on the ship’s upkeep, participants are eligible to take ELISSA to sea.

“Our seamanship program is the only one of its kind in the United States,” says Jamie White, Director of the Texas Seaport Museum (TSM). “It’s the only program in which an all-volunteer crew is fully prepared and given the opportunity to operate the ship.”

ELISSA was originally a 19th century British cargo ship and specialized in calling at smaller ports of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico and twice loaded cotton at Galveston. It was this local connection, and the authenticity of her iron hull, that led Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) to purchase the vessel, then a cut-down motorship, and undertake her restoration. Today, ELISSA is one of only three pre-20th century sailing vessels in the world that have been restored to full sailing capacity.

Designated by the National Park Service as a National Historic Landmark, ELISSA was named the “Official Tall Ship of Texas” in a resolution signed by Governor Rick Perry in June, 2005.

In fall of 2012, following the 30th anniversary of her first restoration, ELISSA will undergo a vital second restoration of her hull and decks. Participants who complete this year’s training program will be eligible to sail in 2012 and 2013 and will have the rare privilege of being a part of the restoration crew that keeps ELISSA sailing for the future.

“Volunteers were essential to the initial restoration,” said White, “and they have remained essential to her continuing life over the last 30 years.”

For more information on joining the volunteer crew of ELISSA or to learn more about the campaign to Keep ELISSA Sailing, contact the Texas Seaport Museum at 409-763-1877.