Schooner Virginia Project coming to Rosegill
on Monday May 21, 2001 05:02PM
The Hampton Roads Maritime Heritage Foundation plans to build a schooner on the Norfolk waterfront which will similar to Maryland's Pride of Baltimore II . I have invited Mort Clark, ex-navigator on Frank Batten's Shadow, and Rick Boesch, Executive Director of the
Schooner Virginia Project to set up a booth and a display the model of the vessel from 4PM to 8PM at Rosegill this Saturday. They are trying to raise money for the project and I invite you to pay a call on their booth.The Schooner VIRGINIA Project is a 501 (C) (3) nonprofit organization with the mission to build a preplica of the historic 118-foot Pilot Schooner VIRGINIA.
This 1917-era tall ship was the last sailing pilot schooner in operation on the Chesapeake Bay. VIRGINIA served as the station vessel for the Virginia Pilot Association from 1917 to 1926. The vessel will be constructed of wood at a cost of $2.75 million. Traditional shipbuilding will once again be seen on the Virginia waterfront. Thousands of visitors will be drawn to this "living museum" as the historic vessel takes shape.
86 receptions
-72 school tours
-40 open houses
Upon completion of the approximately 18-month construction process, Schooner VIRGINIA will serve as the Commonwealth of Virginia's goodwill ambassador. The schooner will embark on a worldwide sailing schedule providing a powerful promotional tool for education, tourism, and economic development.