With the New Year Comes a Special Anniversary for Galveston’s Tall Ship Elissa

Elissa outside the Texas Seaport Museum. Photo by Richard Varr

Galveston’s tall ship Elissa is setting sail for a new milestone in 2012.  The 1877 iron barque will be undergoing badly needed restoration and will be the focus of the Elissa and Texas Seaport Museum’s 30^th anniversary.

Elissa. Photo by Richard Varr

Elissa. Photo by Richard Varr

Brought back to life from a Greek scrap yard in 1968, the three-masted ship was first berthed at Galveston’s Pier 21 in 1982 with a grand opening on July 4^th of that year.  Since then, Elissa has set sail many times, powered by her soaring masts and 19 sails, amounting to a quarter of an acre of sails harnessing gusty Gulf of Mexico and ocean winds.

On July 4, 2012, Elissa and the Texas Seaport Museum will celebrate the anniversary with a special event – still in the planning stages – to include reuniting some the ship’s past crews.  The former British merchant vessel will then sail to a Galveston Bay shipyard to have its deck replaced and hull repaired.

“We’re doing a 30 year refit,” says Jamie White, Director of the Elissa and Texas Seaport Museum.  “The deck is like a roof of a house – a roof and floor at the same time.  Think of it like people coming inside your home that walk on the roof first.  And if you’ve had hundreds of thousands of feet walking on it, it’s time for a new deck.”

On the deck. Photo by Richard Varr

On the deck. Photo by Richard Varr

“The hot Texas sun has been beating down for 30 years on the traditionally-laid Douglas fir deck,” White continues.  “The ship originally had a crew of 14 people, so you never had many people walking the deck.  We have over that many in an hour.”

During dry docking last summer, hull corrosion was discovered and thus hull repair will be needed as well.  The corrosion is a result of Hurricane Ike in 2008 and will require replacing some of the iron plates.  “We’re hoping to save as much of the historic fabric on the hull as possible,” says White.

Both deck replacement and hull repairs are expected to take two to three months.  Elissa will enter the shipyard after the 30^th anniversary celebration in July.  “We’d like to give the ship a good sendoff for the refit,” notes White.

Rigging. Photo by Richard Varr

Until then, it will be business as usual with Elissa and the Seaport Museum open to visitors.  The plan is to have as much of the repairs completed in time for the October Harvest Moon Regatta.  Deck replacement not finished will be completed after the regatta.

Kitchen area inside Elissa. Photo by Richard Varr

“A clipper-style vessel is one of the most beautiful things ever devised by man,” says White.  “In Elissa, we have something that is both beautiful in form and function.  When you’re in the rigging – up amongst the sails and the masts – you can actually feel the ship breathing.”

“The feeling when you’re on deck is like you’re riding this organic thing – like riding a dolphin,” he adds.  “You can feel subtle movement.  The masts are pumping.  You can feel the sails with puffs of wind.  It’s a unique experience.”