The original 1877 barque Elissa pulled into Fort Pierce to take on fuel, and I got to tour the ship!
This happens to be in the midst of my month-long binge of the History of the Americans podcast, so it was extra thrilling to check out!
The Elissa is a museum piece operated and maintained by the Galveston Historical Foundation, and has been used as a training vessel for mariners learning to sail the way they did during the Age of Exploration. She was built in Scotland in 1877, making her the oldest vessel I’ve ever seen in the harbor!
Here’s a bit from Galveston Historical on her:
Galveston Historical Foundation brought ELISSA, an 1877 square-rigged iron barque, from a scrapyard in Piraeus Harbor, Greece to Galveston to begin restoration work in 1978. By 1982, GHF staff and volunteers completed restoration and transformed this rare, historic vessel into a floating museum that would actively sail. Today, the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA is one of only three ships of her kind in the world to still actively sail and welcomes over 40,000 visitors annually. She also serves as the Official Tall Ship of Texas, a National Historic Landmark, and a symbol of the Gulf Coast’s historic beginnings as a seaport and active waterfront. The 1877 ELISSA, a Tall Ship for Texas, welcomes visitors at the Galveston Historic Seaport. Experience Galveston’s maritime history daily.
This is one of only two tall ships I’ve seen grace our waters, the other being a replica of the Niña that visited when I was a kid.
I originally hoped to get some drone video of her at dock and maybe, if lucky, a quick shot of her leaving the inlet. I was in for a real treat as I packed up after my first flight of the day, as I was invited aboard to walk her main deck and get a dose of history from some of the crew! Ahoy!