After 15 years of hard work and zealous fundraising, the tall ship Matthew Turner will be launched on April 1 (no, this is not a joke).
The square-rigger is a modernized version of the Galilee, the fastest and finest West Coast brigantine of the late 1800s, which was built in Benicia in 1891 by innovative ship builder Matthew Turner. After setting trans-Pacific speed records, the original ship spent her declining years in Sausalito, where Galilee Harbor is today.
Launch ceremonies begin at 4pm, with the actual launch at 5pm at the Bay Model, Corps of Engineers Ramp. The public may view the launch from Marinship Park or the Bay Model parking lot, at no charge. Parking is available nearby at 2330 Marinship Way and 10 Libertyship Way.
After the launch, a celebration will begin at 5:30 in the Bay Model, with music by the Waterfront Pickers, food created by John & Lisa Scopazzi and Davey Jones, and beverages included. Tickets to this event, which will benefit Call of the Sea, a local organization founded in 1985 to build the New Galilee and to provide “education before the mast,” are $35/person. Click HERE to purchase celebration tickets and to donate to Call of the Sea.
For more information, including ways to view the launch from a selection of charter boats, click HERE.