News & Interest

April 28th, 2009

Oliver Hazard Perry headed to Harbour Court

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04/28/09
NEWPORT, R.I. After quietly spending the last six months in her winter berth at Bowen’s Wharf, Rhode Island’s Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry will be out on the town, Friday, May 8, when she travels across Newport Harbor to make a visit to the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court. That evening, an “All Hands on Deck” fund raising reception at the Clubhouse will allow guests to see the 132-foot hull up close and also participate in silent and live auctions to benefit the next stages of work on the vessel, a project overseen by the non-profit group Tall Ships Rhode Island (TSRI).

In the early afternoon of May 8, Hunt Marine Tugs & Barges (Warwick, R.I.) will tow the Oliver Hazard Perry from Bowen’s Wharf to the pier at Harbour Court giving onlookers around the waterfront a great perspective of the impressive hull. The tow, sponsored by Gencorp Insurance Group (East Greenwich, R.I.), will have the Oliver Hazard Perry in place and ready for viewing starting at 5:00 p.m. Governor and Mrs. Donald L. Carcieri lead the honorary chair committee for the reception and auction which takes place from 6:30-9:00 p.m. The most coveted item of the evening will surely be the limited tickets to be one of the first 100 onboard for the day sail maiden voyage of Oliver Hazard Perry when she sails into Narragansett Bay. To attend “All Hands on Deck,” please call TSRI at 401-841-0080 or visit www.tallshipsrhodeisland.org where additional information is also available.

TSRI, dedicated to education at sea for more than a decade, has raised close to a third of the $5 million dollars needed to purchase and complete the transformation of the Oliver Hazard Perry. Anticipated to set sail in 2011, the ship will have a second deck added seven feet above the current one that will allow cabins, classrooms and workstations to be accommodated, including some with handicap access. The transformation of the hull – into a 207-foot-long, three masted, square rigged sailing ship that stands more than 13 stories tall – will make her the largest working Class A Tall Ship with U.S. Coast Guard certification.

TSRI will operate the Oliver Hazard Perry as a working sail training vessel to provide opportunities for young people from every segment of society to experience an ocean voyage and to learn from the maritime technical training onboard. During the ship’s development the project will not only benefit Newport’s waterfront-related business organizations but also the marine trades which will create training and job opportunities that are vital to the state’s economy.

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