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SHIP NOTES, SEAPORT & MUSEUM NEWS
Schooner Sultana celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. It was in 1997 that m as ter shipwright John Swain, teacher and captain Drew McMullen, and the citizens of the colonial seaport of C hestertow n , M aryland, first began plans to build a replica of the 1768 Royal N avy schooner Sultana. The goal was to create a floating education al platform to m a ke Maryla nd schoolchildren future stewards of the Chesapeake Bay through a healthy dose of history, ecology, sailing, and teamwork. What emerged after three years of construction by over a tho usand volunteers and students, and in the seventeen years since, is a case study for others to emulate-one of the best-run m aritime non-profits in the country. Built and operated by the Sultana Education Foundation (SEF), the 97-foot schooner has taken more tha n 80 ,000 schoolchildren on board for educational programming. In addition, it operates an extensive fleet of canoes and kayaks that people use to explore the tributaries of the Bay, educating thousands more on the Bay's fr agile ecology and bountiful h arvests. SEF also built a replica of the shallop John
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Sultana, underway in the Chesapeake Bay. Sm ith used to explore the Chesapeake Bay in 1608. In 2007, SEF sent a crew in the shallop on an expedition to circumnavigate the Bay. During the voyage, they reached 150,000 visitors, and the expedition contributed to the form ation of the C aptain John Smith Chesapeake N ational Historic Trail. SEF developed and has executed the annual D ownrigging W eekend Tall Ship & Wooden Boat Festival, one of the largest m aritime expos in the mid-Atlantic, attracting 10,000 visitors to C hestertow n every fa ll. The fo undation successfully raised over $6 million to build the stateof-the-art LEED Platinum Education Center, where staff can conduct educational programming during the winter and where the sailing seasonal programs can be augm ented ashore. To support operations a nd personnel, SEF purchased a housing facility for its season al educational staff. This has all been accomplished through the work of a committed board of trustees, seasoned staff, and hundreds of supporters, who together operate an annual $2 .1 million nonprofit organization w ith a high level of corporate governance and public supportw ith no debt. To ass ure that the Sultana initiative continues in perpetuity, SEF and its "shipmates" h ave built a still-growing $2 million endowment. H appy 20th Birthd ay Sultana! (SEF, 2 00 S. Cross Street, Chestertown, MD ; www.sultanaeducation. org. Submitted by Philip J. Webster.) ...
Significant progress is being made with political and business stakeholders to repatriate the 1878 four-masted ship Falls ofClyde to the River Clyde in Scotland, where dry docking and hull restoration will be engaged, according to David O'Neill, the senior campaign manager for Save Falls of Clyde-International Group. The 139-year-old, Port G lasgow-built sailing ship is cu rre ntly m oored in H onolulu H arbor, H awaii. After eight months of negotiations, the State of H awaii H arbors Division agreed to work w ith the International Group to repatriate the historic ship to Scotland. To accomplish this , a heavy-lift ship w ill be n eed ed to transport the ship from H awaii to Scotland. The group in Scotland has secured an offer of dry dock facilities and use of an en gineering sh ed that w ill allow the ship to be docked upon her arrival. This international effort, being called the "Scottish Plan," is supported in H awaii by Friends of Falls
Falls of Clyde in Honolulu, waiting to be rescued. of Clyde, which owns the vessel. Friends of Falls of Clyde was founded in 2 00 8 to take ownership of the ship from the Bishop Museum, which h ad announced it had plan s to scuttle the ship if a new owner could not be identified . In H awaii, an agreem ent is in place for tug suppo rt to m ove and load the Falls on the heavy lift ship. Shipping agent support is also in place. The ship will soon have ballas t water rem oved in preparation fo r the m ove, which m ay be as early as September. Friends of Falls of Clyde will file a plan for the physical m ove with the US C oas t G u ard and the H awaii H arbors Division o n ce all parties involved in the proj ect h ave provided input. Keep up to date on the Falls of Clyde news th ro ugh the Save Falls of C lyde- Internation al page on Facebook (www.facebook.com /savefallsofclyd e/) . . .
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