Page 34: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2000)

U.S. Report • News

OpSail 2000: Parade Of Tall Ships Graces New York's Waters

Founded in 196/ by President John F.

Kennedy, Operation Sail (OpSail) lias since found its way back to New York

Harbor for significant events such as the

Bicentennial celebration in 1976 and the 100th anniversary of the Statue of

Liberty in 1986. MR/EN was invited to step aboard the historic Schooner

Wavertree, prior to OpSail 2000.

By Regina P. Ciardiello, associate editor

Stepping aboard the historic Schooner

Wavertree docked at New York's South

Street Seaport, one would feel instantly immersed by the constant whirring of drills, hammering and workers being pulled up onto the vessel's masthead.

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SYSTEMS www. fit >wct »rp.cc >m |The historic Wavertree docked at the South Street Sea-

Iport. (MR/EN photos: Regina P. Ciardiello).

No, it's not a group of 19th Century shipbuilders, but a modern-day group of individuals, some of who are volunteers, working to prepare the historic

Schooner for its OpSail appearance.

MR/EN spent the morning of the vessel's last day at the seaport, prior to its depar- ture for a Staten Island shipyard where it would undergo any last minute alter- ations before the famed Parade of Ships during July 4 weekend.

Measuring 325 ft. (99 m) with a 40 ft. (12.1 m) beam and 22 ft. (6.7 m) draft (loaded) Wavertree was built in

Southampton, England in 1885 for R.W.

Leyland & Co. of Liverpool. Originally constructed to transport jute, which was used for making rope and burlap bags, between India and Scotland, the vessel was decommissioned in December 1910 — after sailing for more than 25 years — following a near de-masting in a gale off Cape Horn. Deciding against derig- ging, Wavertree's owners opted to sell the vessel, which was then utilized as a floating warehouse at Punta Arenas,

Chile. Prior to its acquisition by the

South Street Seaport Museum in 1968, the vessel performed one more duty, serving as a sand barge in Buenos Aires,

Argentina for more than two decades — beginning in 1947.

Following the purchase of the vessel by the museum. Wavertree was prepped and then towed to New York in August 1970, where it remained to undergo con- versions and repairs to help rejuvenate it back to its original appearance. f

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A piece of Wavertree's original beam rests in the vessel's workshop. 34 Circle 235 on Reader Service Card Maritime Reporter/Engineering News