An overwhelming reception for SSV Oliver Hazard Perry
by Barby MacGowan on 14 May 2015
Fans snap photos of Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo as she leads a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new state pier at Fort Adams State Park. - Rhode Island’s Official Sailing Education Vessel Media Pro International / OHPRI
Over the weekend of May 9 -10 and for three days thereafter, SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, the Ocean State’s Official Sailing Education Vessel, hosted more than 12,000 people for onboard tours at Newport’s Fort Adams State Park where only four days prior, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo had declared the state’s new 240-foot long pier there officially “open” and the Tall Ship’s permanent home. The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the pier was part of the opening of the Volvo Ocean Race Village, built to accommodate a festive stopover for seven Volvo Ocean Race 60s making their way around the world in one of the most grueling sailing contests on the planet.
Though it was a different type of vessel altogether, the 200-foot long, three-masted SSV Oliver Hazard Perry was nothing short of a show stopper, with a constant flow of visitors boarding then circulating on deck and below for a closer look at her rigging and a peek at her living and teaching spaces. The Tall Ship seemed to settle organically into the organized chaos of more than 40,000 people visiting the park’s waterfront for the occasion of welcoming the Volvo Ocean Race sailors and engaging in a plethora of activities designed to entertain the public during the race’s 13-day stopover here.
“I like how they blended new-age technology with a traditional looking ship,” said Rhode Islander Connor Bliar after touring the ship. “It’s almost artistic, and anyone who gets to go out on it is lucky.”
SSV Oliver Hazard Perry’s impressive silhouette includes a towering rig, the tallest part of which reaches 13 ½ stories high; a total of 19 spars that have been turned from massive Douglas fir trees on the largest spar lathe in North America; seven miles of rope and wire that have been made integral to the ship’s operation by tradesmen trained in both modern and traditional rigging techniques; and 20 sails, both square and fore-and-aft that total 14,000 square feet. Below decks, she offers accommodations for 49 people on ocean voyages, a climate-controlled environment, a modern galley, science lab and a full array of electronic navigation and communication gear.
This was the first time the general public had been invited to tour the Tall Ship since 2013 when Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island, the non-profit organization behind her, hosted a Dedication Ceremony at Fort Adams during an earlier phase of construction. The ship is now nearly complete and will return to Hinckley Boatyard in Portsmouth, R.I. to continue her final phase of construction and US Coast Guard inspection and testing.
Become a plank owner of America’s new Tall Ship
The non-profit Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island is seeking 50 new Plank Owners to close out its exclusive Plank Owner contributors group at 500 members. Plank Owners each have generously invested $1,000 or more toward completion of Sailing School Vessel Oliver Hazard Perry and enjoy privileges such as invitations to exclusive events, prominent recognition on the ship and at events, and a signature OHPRI orange cap.
Following an unprecedented shipbuilding program supported by Rhode Island’s world-class marine trades, SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is preparing for life-changing academic and experiential learning programs. Teachers and students of all ages are lining up to go to sea on this modern Tall Ship with an environmental science lab, state-of-the art classroom technology, wheelchair accessibility, and climate-controlled living and learning spaces. SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is the first ocean-going, full rigged ship to be built in the U.S. in 100 years.
To learn more about this program or to donate online, go to website or call +1 401-841-0080.
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