The Ernestina Can Home To Gloucester With Your Lobbying Help

Please Sign On To Get The Work Done To Restore Her Here

Welcome home Schooner Ernestina-Morrisey? We hope so.
Listen To Captain Amanda Madeira Talk About The Effort 24 minutes Into The Latest GloucesterCast Found Here

Piper Boatworks and Maritime Gloucester are finalists to conduct the restoration work on this historic 156’ vessel. The schooner is 120 years old, a National Historic Landmark and the official vessel of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

If you wish to express your support for this project in Massachusetts at Maritime Gloucester, go to http://www.ernestina.maritimegloucester.org/ to learn how. Do it today. And thanks.

History: This schooner was built in 1894 at the James and Tarr Shipyard in Essex for the Gloucester fishing fleet. Named the Effie M. Morrissey (now Ernestina Morrissey), she was first owned by Capt. William E. Morrissey and the John F. Wonson Co. of Gloucester. She fished out of this port for the first ten years. She has a remarkable 120-year history including fishing in the U.S. and Canada, arctic exploration, navy service, and as a Cape Verdean packet vessel.

Restoration Project: The primary goal of this project is the overhaul of the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey to restore her to sound sailing condition so that she can serve as a sail training vessel for future generations and an ambassador for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. We believe that it is vitally important that public outreach and maritime heritage objectives are also met.

In Massachusetts: All the objectives are best met by investing in an existing Massachusetts asset (the other finalist is from out-of-state). Gloucester is increasingly viewed as a center of schooners in the northeast as a result of: local schooners offering sails and educational programs (e.g., Ardelle, Thomas Lannon, Adventure); the Gloucester Schooner Festival (30th anniversary this past year); privately owned schooners in the harbor; and our cluster of shoreside businesses and skilled labor. The historic marine railway and waterfront site of Maritime Gloucester, a thriving working waterfront museum and educational facility on Gloucester harbor, which offers full public access, community programming and the ability to deliver on the historical, cultural, educational and economic benefits for the Commonwealth and its citizens.

Bring the Ernestina-Morrissey back to Gloucester!
Thomas Balf
Executive Director
Maritime Gloucester

Photos from Captain Amanda Madeira-