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- Historic Tall Ship Gazela Arriving in New Bedford for the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament (Portuguese Feast)
Historic Tall Ship Gazela Arriving in New Bedford for the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament (Portuguese Feast)
- By New Bedford Mayor's Office
- Published 07/23/2010
- Announcements & Press Releases
New Bedford, Massachusetts – A part of Portuguese history will be sailing into New Bedford in time for the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament when the tall ship Gazela arrives at the south side of State Pier. The 100+ year old wooden-hulled former Grand Banks fishing vessel will be docked from July 29 through August 2.
One of only a few Portuguese sailing vessels that have survived from the days of dory fishing, Gazela will be open for public tours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 PM until 5 PM each day. Gazela’s crew will also be giving dockside sail handling classes for those who have ever wondered what it’s like to sail an old square-rigger. Classes are just $25 per person. Schedules and registration may be found at http://www.gazela.org
In the evenings, Gazela will be hosting private receptions for area businesses, which help the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild, the non-profit charity that owns Gazela, pay her operating expenses.
Built in Portugal at the turn of the century, Gazela had a remarkably long commercial career. She was described in Allan Villiers’ 1950 book, Quest of the Schooner Argus¸ as “the last commercial square-rigger operating out of Western Europe.” Her owners retired her after the 1969 season following a disappointing harvest. She was still seaworthy and was soon purchased by William Wikoff Smith, a philanthropist from Philadelphia, who formed a crew of his friends to sail her to the United States. She has been Philadelphia’s tall ship since.
Little has changed on Gazela since her Portuguese fishing days. The cook still uses the old stove and the anchor windlass is still powered by a hand-cranked 1930’s vintage diesel engine. A brass ring on the ship’s wheel shows she is from “Lisboa”. Posted in the crew’s quarters is a list of codes that were once used for radio signals, where a code was short for “You have a new son. Mother is doing well.”
All maintenance work on Gazela is done by one paid shipwright and an army of volunteers, who also serve as her sailing crew. Last year, over 20,000 hours were donated by the ship’s volunteers.
When Gazela isn’t doing educational programs in Philadelphia or visiting other ports, she sometimes gets a movie role. She made a brief appearance in the 1994 film, Interview with the Vampire, starring Brad Pitt. A few years later she had extensive screen time in The Widow of St. Pierre, starring Juliette Binoche.
The visit to New Bedford marks Gazela’s first trip to New England since 2005.
For more information about Gazela, to sign up for classes, or for details on hosting an evening reception, please visit www.gazela.org or call the guild’s office at 215-238-0280.
One of only a few Portuguese sailing vessels that have survived from the days of dory fishing, Gazela will be open for public tours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 PM until 5 PM each day. Gazela’s crew will also be giving dockside sail handling classes for those who have ever wondered what it’s like to sail an old square-rigger. Classes are just $25 per person. Schedules and registration may be found at http://www.gazela.org
In the evenings, Gazela will be hosting private receptions for area businesses, which help the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild, the non-profit charity that owns Gazela, pay her operating expenses.
Built in Portugal at the turn of the century, Gazela had a remarkably long commercial career. She was described in Allan Villiers’ 1950 book, Quest of the Schooner Argus¸ as “the last commercial square-rigger operating out of Western Europe.” Her owners retired her after the 1969 season following a disappointing harvest. She was still seaworthy and was soon purchased by William Wikoff Smith, a philanthropist from Philadelphia, who formed a crew of his friends to sail her to the United States. She has been Philadelphia’s tall ship since.
Little has changed on Gazela since her Portuguese fishing days. The cook still uses the old stove and the anchor windlass is still powered by a hand-cranked 1930’s vintage diesel engine. A brass ring on the ship’s wheel shows she is from “Lisboa”. Posted in the crew’s quarters is a list of codes that were once used for radio signals, where a code was short for “You have a new son. Mother is doing well.”
All maintenance work on Gazela is done by one paid shipwright and an army of volunteers, who also serve as her sailing crew. Last year, over 20,000 hours were donated by the ship’s volunteers.
When Gazela isn’t doing educational programs in Philadelphia or visiting other ports, she sometimes gets a movie role. She made a brief appearance in the 1994 film, Interview with the Vampire, starring Brad Pitt. A few years later she had extensive screen time in The Widow of St. Pierre, starring Juliette Binoche.
The visit to New Bedford marks Gazela’s first trip to New England since 2005.
For more information about Gazela, to sign up for classes, or for details on hosting an evening reception, please visit www.gazela.org or call the guild’s office at 215-238-0280.
