On Saturday, December 17th, the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey’s long-awaited homecoming will be celebrated with state officials, generous philanthropists, volunteers, members of the public, and the Prime Minister of Cape Verde, His Excellency Jose Ulisses de Pina Correia e Silva. The speaking program will take place at New Bedford State Pier starting at 10am. (Registration is closed for attendance at the speaking program.)
Ernestina will be open for public tours Sat., 12/17 from 2–4 p.m.; and Sun., 12/18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at State Pier in New Bedford (first come first serve, no reservation required).
The Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey was built in 1894 at the James and Tarr Shipyard for the Gloucester fishing fleet. Originally a fishing vessel, over the course of its long history it sailed to within 600 miles of the North Pole, and later brought immigrants to the U.S. Returned to the U.S. in 1982 as a gift from the newly independent Cape Verde, the Ernestinas sailed as an educational vessel until 2005. Sitting dormant for many years, after a seven-year refurbishment in Maine, under the care of Massachusetts Maritime Academy, it has returned to the Commonwealth.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy will focus the efforts of the SSV Ernestina-Morrissey on undergraduate sail-training and leadership training for cadets, K-12 STEM programming, and community outreach and awareness within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond. These three pillars will look to ensure the legacy of Ernestina-Morrissey as an educational asset for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Learn more about Ernestina at http://www.ernestina.org
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