Schooner Ernestina returns from Boothbay, Maine, to her home port in New Bedford on May 9, with stops in Gloucester on May 6 and Boston on May 7.

Come see the extensive work done to the forward half of the ship. Celebrate her return and contribute to her rebirth with musical and other fundraising events. Paul Brawley, Executive Director of Schooner Ernestina, and Harold Burnham, master shipwright who supervised the work on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation will be on hand at each port to talk about the work and the future.

Ernestina was relaunched and she is floating peacefully by the dock in Boothbay.
Congratulations to all who worked (in many ways) to get the front half redone.

The bow of the ship is about done - actually the front half of the ship is about done and it will be launched soon.

A close look at the lettering will reveal just the first and last letters of her original name - Effie M. Morrissey. As Ernestina has gone through several restorations, the Ernestina nameplate was put over the original name - and the original name was always left on the boat. The Ernestina nameplate will be be added.

Launch date is close -

The foredeck on Ernestina is coming along. It is made from recycled longleaf yellow pine from old buildings. The deck is 3" thick to give you some idea of the scale. The deckbeams are also new.
Here is a shot of some lodging knees.

The deck is a full 3 inches thick, so that fives you an idea of the scale.

Here is a shot looking aft.

In the meantime, the hull is being caulked.

To his left, you can see the little piece of cotton that marks the end of the cotton. Cotton is used in the bottom of the seam and he is how putting the oakum on the top.

FY 2010 Business Plan for the Schooner Ernestina

I. Executive Summary

The Schooner Ernestina is a gift. The Republic of Cape Verde presented her to the people of the United States in 1982 when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts became her steward. But the ship is a gift in a larger sense. The rich history and significance of Ernestina makes her a unique vessel and an important asset to the Commonwealth. Built in Essex, Massachusetts in 1894, the ship reveals our history, enhances our tourism, and educates our children and all citizens of the Bay State by connecting us to our inheritance-the sea.

Last nite, some people gathered at the Seamen's Bethel to celebrate her 115th birthday. Tom G. gave an interesting talk and showed a Pathway movie of some of the Arctic years.

Got some more photos from Maine and the Ernestina project. There is quite a bit of snow up there.

The forward end of the boat is under cover and planking, etc is still going on.

About 20 volunteers went to the State Pier in New Bedford to oil some of Ernestina's spars; the main gaff and boom, the fore gaff and boom, and the jumbo boom.

It was pretty hard to roll over the main boom without the forklift, since it weighs about 2100 pounds, so we borrowed one to stay safe.

They all were scraped down and then sanded. We applied a coat of boiled linseed oil.

They looked a lot better by noon.

Volunteer Work Party for Ernestina

Please Join us this Saturday, October 25th from 9am to 1pm at the New Bedford State Pier to Clean, prep, sand, oil, and melt some beeswax to give some life back in to the main spars of the Ernestina. This maybe the last time we have easy access to State Pier before the TWIC card takes effect.

Bring a picnic lunch or something to cook on the grill for after the work party. We will have coffee, water & donuts. Park in the middle of the pier and we should have the spars set up on the east side of the pier or just inside the warehouse next to the Ferry Terminal.