Bob Bartlett and His “Little Morrisey” — Voyage to Greenland

Yesterday, we posted about the restoration of the historic schooner Ernestina, ex-Effie M. Morrissey.  Here is a documentary, narrated by the polar explorer, Captain Bob Bartlett, describing a voyage to Greenland in the schooner he refers to as his “Little Morrisey.” … Continue reading

Black History Month — William Tillman and the Privateer Jefferson Davis

A post in honor of Black History Month. On Throwback Thursday, a slightly revised post from July, 2011.  William Tillman was the first black hero of the American Civil War. He was not a soldier but rather a 27-year-old  cook-steward … Continue reading

Bay City Tall Ship Celebration 2016

Bay City Michigan kicked off its sixth Tall Ship Celebration yesterday, featuring a diverse mix of historic ships and replicas, including the U.S. Brig Niagara; the replica galleon El Galeon Andalucia; the replica Viking longship Draken Harald Hårfagre;  the brigantines Pathfinder and Playfair; and the … Continue reading

A Closer Look at the America 2.0 — Replica, Hybrid or High-Tech Schooner?

Classic Harbor Line‘s schooner America 2.0 is a fascinating design. Designed and built by the Scarano brothers and delivered in 2011, the boat is, notionally, a replica of the schooner yacht America of 1851, after which the famous America’s Cup was … Continue reading

Schooner Spirit of South Carolina Returning to Charleston

Great news. The schooner Spirit of South Carolina is on her way home to Charleston, South Carolina.  We recently heard from Meryl Huckabey: “As a long-time reader of oldsaltblog.com I am pleased to tell you that the Spirit of South Carolina, tall ship … Continue reading

Schooners Columbia, American Eagle & Lettie G. Howard Race at Gloucester

This weekend, the 31st Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival was held, culminating in the Mayor’s Cup Schooner Race.  The Esperanto Cup, representing the large schooners, was won by the schooner Columbia, built in 2014, a steel replica of the W. Starling Burgess designed … Continue reading

120 Year Old Schooner Ernestina to be Restored at Boothbay

Great news!  The Massachusetts of Department of Conservation and Recreation has signed a contract with Boothbay Harbor Shipyard for $6,048,025 for the restoration of the schooner Ernestina, ex-Effie M. Morrissey.   As we posted in July, private donors, Bob Hildreth and Gerry Lenfest, contributed $2.8 … Continue reading

The Return of Schooner Lettie G. Howard

Yesterday, while maneuvering our 18′ catboat through the traffic in the Morris Canal on the West bank of the Hudson off Lower Manhattan, we had the pleasure of crossing paths with the schooner Lettie G. Howard. Lettie is an 1893 Fredonia-model fishing schooner owned and … Continue reading

Bluenose II — No Way to Restore a Schooner

The new construction/restoration of the Canadian schooner Bluenose II has not gone well.  Years behind schedule and millions over budget. Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil is calling it a “boondoggle” and is demanding an investigation into the project.  Recent lawsuits involving the … Continue reading