lh a NeW World, GoJ.r 'lJ.derwa.y it\. J ?eeq by Dr Timothy
N
ational M aritime Day, observed each May 22nd, was designated by Congress in 1933 to recognize American m erchant mariners. On that date last year, a special maritime event reached back 400 years to recognize the hardy English mariners who crossed the Atlantic in 1607 to found the settlem ent at Jamestown. The occasion was the departure of the newly-launched representation of Godspeed on an East Coast tour to promote the quadricentenary. The Godspeed of 1607 was the mid-sized companion to the flagship Susan Constant and the pinnace Discovery. Representations of all three vessels have been built in years past, and all have been replaced . Designs were based on historians and naval architects making educated guesses as to size, rig, lines, etc. from what they could glean from the historical record; plans for the actual ships do not exist. The first Godspeed reproduction was built in 1982 of pine; deterioration from white-rot fungus and wear have warranted the building of a new vessel to serve both as a museum ship and as a fully operational sailing vessel to carry out the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation's educational mission. The decision to build a new Godspeed and Discovery fo llowed the new construction of a replacement vessel for Susan Constant in 1991. With funding from state, federal , and private sources, historian Peter
Runyan
Wrike, Captain Eric Speth, and others undertook the task of furthering research to come closer to the ship's original design.
with traditional sailmaking techniques. (Godspeeds companion vessel, the smaller Discovery, was built by M aine's Boothbay
Tri-Coastal Marines Sail Plan fo r Godspeed
They handed the results of their research Harbor Shipyard, where it was launched off to Tri-Coastal Marine, the naval archi- this past February.) These teams and inditectural firm which specializes in designing viduals expressed great pride in their part in replica sailing ships (recent efforts include maintaining and promoting their maritime the schooners Virginia, Amistad, and Spirit heritage throughout these projects . of South Carolina). Tri-Coastal created the The crew and passengers aboard the ship's plans by combining this historical original Godspeed endured a long and evidence with adjustments to Godspeed was built in Maine by Rockport Marine modern demands: conforming with modern safety regulations and creating space for an engine without taking away from the authentic look to the outside viewer. Tri-Coastal sent their plans to the shipbuilders at Rockport Marine in Rockport, Maine, and to sailmaker Nathaniel S. Wilson of East Boothbay, Maine. Nat Wilson is sailmaker to most of the historic and historic replica ships sailing in this country and abroad, including USS Constitution. Like the designers and shipbuilders, Wilson expertly creates authentic fully functioning sails by combining natural and modern synthetic materials