The Brig Niagara has had an incredible year.   The ship and its captain have been honored with major awards, the organization has raised significant sums to support the ship and the ship has been featured in a new PBS documentary.

Just over a year ago, severe funding cuts threatened the operation of the historic replica.  Particularly worrisome were two large capital projects for the ship – a Coast Guard mandated dry-dock and hull inspection and a recaulking of the ship’s deck.   Nevertheless, the ship had a  busy summer  of sailing from one tall ships festival to another as part of the American Sail Training Association (ASTA) Great Lakes United Tall Ships Challenge® 2010.   Recently, it was announced that the Tall Ships Erie 2010 festival in September, which attracted 75,000 visitors, raised $220,00 for the Flagship Niagara League.  Roughly $170,00 of the funds raise will go for inspections and deck caulking with the remainder funding invested in the Niagara Education Fund.

And to top the year off, the Brig Niagara organization was honored with  The Sail Training Program of the Year award at the 38th annual American Sail Training Association (ASTA) conference in Long Beach, California in November.  Niagara’s captain, Wesley Heerssen,  was presented with the 2010 Sail Trainer of the Year award at the conference as well.  This was the first time that ASTA has awarded the Trainer of the Year award to the captain of the same ship that got the Sail Training award.

ASTA Awards for Brig Niagara & Captain Heerssen

This year the Niagara was also featured prominently in Ric Burns’ documentary, Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World in which she was outfitted with a triworks and whaleboats to play a whaling ship.

The year was not all smooth sailing for the Niagara and her crew which, in addition to budget cuts, overcame bouts of salmonella and battled zebra mussels.    Overcoming obstacles may be just one of the reasons why the ship and her captain were honored this year.