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A nearly 150-year-old ship docked in Galveston Bay is getting ready for a voyage across the country to New York City for the Fourth of July.
The 1877 “tall ship” Elissais a square-rigged iron barque that currently serves as a floating museum in Galveston. However, she's still in shape to sail.
"It’s one of only two really that still actively sail in the world of this kind of age and type," said Will Wright, who is the creative director forGalveston Historical Foundation, the organization that owns the Elissa.
The Elissa has undergone many repairs since 1877, but the key piece to the ship’shistoric integrity is the hull. Wright said the Elissa’s low moor iron and the overwhelming majority of the hull are intact. It's the same hull the ship had when she served as a cargo vessel over 100 years ago.
"It went all over the world, taking various cargo from port to port,” Wright said. “We have records of it coming to Galveston twice in the late 1800s for cotton and then bananas."
Wright said in the mid-1970s, there was an effort to redevelop Galveston Island’s waterfront and Strand Street, which is when the Galveston Historical Foundation decided to purchase the Elissa. The foundationbrought the Elissa to the Texas Coastin 1979.
"They were looking for something that tied Galveston to its maritime history,” Wright said. “They found Elissa in Greece, and it was slated for demolition, and so there was an effort to rehabilitate it, to get it back here to Galveston to do a restoration, and it has since been a successful effort."
Volunteers do preventative maintenance on the ship throughout the year and take the Elissa on day sails in the springtime.
"Elissa is still traditionally sailed,” Wright said. “We benefit from a lot of the technological advances, but at the end of the day, the ship is a sailing ship."
Wright said the Elissa will be the oldest ship on the voyage to New York City this summer. The voyage is part ofSail250, a global gathering of tall ships and military ships to celebrate the country's 250th Anniversary.
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"I actually get goosebumps when I picture what’s going to happen," said Marty Miles, the interim CEO for the Galveston Park Board of Trustees and the one who ultimately brought the idea to the table as a partnership between GHF and the park board. "We will literally be there on television with the fireworks on a spectacular trip up the Hudson River into New York Harbor."
Miles said the voyage is a big deal for Galveston Island, a moment of pride for the community.
"With an entire nation and frankly, world watching our 250th birthday or anniversary, depending on how you think of it. It’s just amazing what that does for the city of Galveston,” Miles said. “The idea that we’ll be promoted to that market on a special day to that many people is just something that’s almost impossible to ever get done."
Miles said the park board plans to spend between $600,000-$750,000 of its reserve funds to cover costs such as staff salaries and food for the voyage. Part of the total cost will also be allocated for promotional marketing about the trip.
He said the trip will bring in revenue through appearance fees, sponsorships and tickets to sail on the ship for the Independence Day celebrations. Miles said he believes the revenue that comes from the trip will make up for the cost. He estimated $1.2 million in potential revenue and said all excess revenue will be split between the Galveston Historical Foundation, the park board and the City of Galveston.
The Galveston City Councilon Jan 22gave the final approval the park board needed to make the trip happen.
Since the ship is equipped with bunks, Wright said up to 50 volunteers and crew members can live aboard the Elissa at a time.
"It’s their little home away from home," Wright said.
The Elissa will leave Galveston in mid-May, making stops in Florida and South Carolina on her way to New York City. Wright said the ship will return in late August.
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