After the events
of September 11, 2001, 2002 has become a very difficult year. Budgets
are increasingly tight. However, the New Bedford Harbor Sea Chantey
Chorus thrives, the Norwell Crane comes to the State Pier as part of
Ernestina's educational offerings for teachers and students and more activities are developed for after
school. The schedule is as strong as it has ever been.
The second annual "Festa da Ernestina" attracted a crowd of 400 on Saturday, August 17, at the corner of Elm and N. Water Streets in New Bedford. This year’s theme highlighted the 20th anniversary of the 1982 voyage of Ernestina from Republic of Cape Verde to New Bedford. Special guests at the Festa were Laura Pires, one the earliest Schooner Ernestina advocates, and Stephan Platzer, a member of that 1982 return voyage crew. Special Cape Verdean cuisine along with live music, by the popular Bisca Club Band, was all part of the celebration. Schooner Ernestina staff and volunteers hosted the event, led by volunteer Joyce Cruz, heading the Festa Committee. Joyce also was in charge of the fund-raising raffle, which was enthusiastically supported by the Festa-goers. The food table was a great success with delicious dishes contributed by Schooner Ernestina Commissioner, Dr. Bruce Rose and steadfast Ernestina volunteer, Louisa Andrade. Event sponsors were Merchant Mariners Social Club, St. Luke’s Hospital Emergency Room Doctors, John Perreira Painting Co., Inc., Bisca Tournament Club, Exxon-Mobil Retiree Club, Cape Verdean News, the Cape Verdean-American Veterans’ Association and Doug Mills and Integrity Plumbing. The Bisca Club Band, known for their lively traditional and contemporary repertoire, set the tone for the festive night of live music and dancing, as the corner of Elm Street and North Water Street was transformed into "Plaza de Ernestina." z
On September 2nd Ernestina sailed from Gloucester with the extended Morrissey family aboard. As you know, if you’ve checked out the schooner’s history on the website, William E. Morrissey was the original captain and named the ship after his daughter, Effie in 1894. Clayton, Effie’s brother, soon became captain with his first command. Clayton and his wife Bessie had four children: Athelstan, Winifred, Arethusa (Sue) and Burt Rudolf. For this sail family members aboard were from Burt Rudolf and Peg Burton Morrissey’s side of the family. We appreciate the efforts of Peg (Burton) Morrissey and Capt. Amanda Madeira for putting this sail together and the stalwart family that sailed in the rain! O n September 14-15, Ernestina set sail for an overnight passage from Providence, RI back to New Bedford with members of the 1982 transatlantic voyage crew aboard. This was the crew who delivered the ship safely across the Atlantic to be gifted to the people of America. Back in 1982, Stephan Platzer and Steve Hopkins flew to the Cape Verde Islands for a month of work and then a 42 day passage to arrive in Newport, RI, on August 24, 1982. Steve Brown, also a member of that 14 person crew of Cape Verdeans and Americans, joined us in New Bedford upon our arrival for hours of stories about that momentous voyage of twenty years ago. zERNESTINA SAILS THROUGH A NEAR DISASTER
Management Team Tom Goux, Public Program Director MaryHelen Gunn, Ship-Board Program Coordinator Steve Kirk, Ship-Board Program Coordinator Amanda Madeira, Captain/ Operations Director Annie McDowell, Accountant Crista Mellican, Ship-Board Program Coordinator Gregg Swanzey, Executive Director Laurie Weitzen, Human Resource Coordinator Polly Zajac, Shore-Based Program Coordinator ShipBoard Program Staff Claire Arbour, Deckhand Monika Bang-Campbell, Steward Erika Boulware, AB Jessica Bryant, Deckhand Ken Cabral, Steward Frank Calascione, Deckhand Scot Cann, AB Traudi Coli, Anthropologist Jed Deering, Chief Mate Missy Devalles, Deckhand/Engineer Jim Foley, AB Rob Hancock, AB Katie Krause, Deckhand Amanda Lake, Mate Liz Maloney, Mate Leda Mareth, Deckhand Gwen Matuszek, Deckhand Sophie Morse, Captain Erica Sachs, Chief Mate Kristen Sharpless, Deckhand Fred Sterner, Mate Steve Swift, Engineer Eric Varney, Deckhand Apprentices & Interns Will Mayo, Ship-Board Apprentice Gil Pires, Genealogy Project Kendra Santos, Genealogy Project Jeremiah Woolley, Shore-Based Intern For more stories please follow the link to the newsletter from the outreach page... |
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