Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Keep ELISSA Sailing


 

Without volunteers, ELISSA would not be able to sail and cast her magic into this and future generations of her admirers, sailors and suitors. From maintenance to revenue generating overnight programs to administrative work, you, the ship's company, provide vital assistance to the staff of TSM in helping to keep ELISSA sailing. The critical and manifest importance of volunteers is a characteristic of ELISSA and the larger historic ships' community as a whole. Since restoration to full working order and sailing trim almost 30 years ago, ELISSA has provided the public and her crew with unparalleled heritage maritime experiences through sea-going daysails off the waters of Galveston and along the Gulf Coast. ELISSA has left a long wake since her restoration and it is her crew, her volunteers and supporters who have breathed life into her sails and brought her decks alive with the seaman's cry of "mainsail haul".


 

Ships are expensive…without you, our volunteers, ELISSA would be but a rust stained memory upon a beach in Piraeus, Greece. Historic buildings leave foundations and other evidence of their existence, while ships leave only bubbles and a fading wake to tell of their existence. Thanks to the efforts, struggles and determination of you and previous and future volunteers, ELISSA still leaves a wake and will continue to do so as long as we answer her call.


 

She is hailing us now


 

"Keep ELISSA Sailing" is the name of our fund raising campaign to raise the estimated 3 to 3.5 million dollars needed to restore her back to her halcyon days. As you are all aware, ELISSA was beset by severe electrolytic corrosion of her underwater hull plates – up to 56 of her hull plates need repair or replacement per United States Coast Guard directive. In addition to the hull repairs, it has been determined that we should replace the tired and leaking deck at the same time work is going on with the hull plates in shipyard.


 

Together we are looking at a large shipyard bill requiring outside assistance to raise the needed funds for this work. We are in the final stages of securing the services of the fund raising firm of Harriet Latimer and Associates based in Houston. Latimer and Associates have a history with ELISSA and a track record that leads us to believe that the needed funds could be raised in about 12 to 15 months.


 

Hiring a professional fundraiser is expensive and this expense will be paid by eliminating several positions at TSM. The positions of Education Coordinator and Waterfront Manager have been eliminated to help fund the monthly fundraising expense. It is expected that we will refill these positions once ELISSA is back sailing. I would like to thank both Charlie Wright and Christine Hayes for the work and devotion they have given on behalf of ELISSA. It is never easy laying off staff, and it is especially hard when they are shipmates. But, we need to think about the best interests of ELISSA and sadly we must say fair winds to both of them. I want to mention that they are welcome as volunteers - to help lay hands upon braces and I would like to think our wakes will cross again.


 

I want to emphasize that the work still remains and we will need to count on our current and future …and past volunteers to help out with our educational and overnight programs and earn day sail hours for their efforts. I have asked Roy DeGesero to fill in for Charlie as interim Volunteer Waterfront Manager. I hope that some volunteers that have not been by the ship in some time will see fit to lend a hand once again. It would be nice to see Bob Bracht or Bill Jenko in the rigging again! I will be taking on a larger role in the maintenance and rigging of ELISSA and look forward to working with all of you in the future. After all, I was a shellback square-rigger sailorman before taking the helm of TSM. John Schaumburg will be assisting me and the fundraisers and helping out with keeping the retail and database sides of TSM and GHF functioning properly.


 

Since the fundraising efforts will require 12 to 15 months to raise the needed funds for dry-docking, we have decided to go to shipyard in mid July 2012 – after the 30th anniversary of ELISSA opening to the public. After an anticipated 3 to 4 months in shipyard we would like to take part in sailing the 2012 Lakewood yacht Club "Harvest Moon Regatta". I realize that this means another year without going day sailing and I am sorry about that sad fact. But it is in the best interests of ELISSA that we undertake these necessary and Coast Guard mandated repairs. 30 years from now, the ELISSA's crew will be talking about our dedication and devotion to keeping ELISSA sailing for them and future volunteers. Making sacrifices for ELISSA and being devoted caretakers will be a legacy we can feel great pride in. What we as a crew must keep in mind is that even though we did not have the opportunity to go day sailing this year…we did have the fortune of learning how to sail a square-rigger something that not many other people on the planet had the privilege of doing.

also…

I want to emphasize that all your hard work getting ready for the 2011 daysails has not been forgotten and we will arrange for some 2011"only" crew daysails to hoist "Bravo Zulu" for a job well done and for your tenacity and earnest efforts of this past year. We will have a sail for rewarding the Youth Crew in addition.


 

Unfortunately, we will be putting the Youth Crew on hold for the year due to the necessity of prioritizing ship and museum operations in light of the needed efforts regarding fundraising and limited staff. I fully expect to have the Youth Crew back on deck after the needed hull repairs are completed. To make up the lack of a full youth crew program, it has been proposed to hold a series of youth sailing camps – possibly on a quarterly basis. We need help to set these up and run them successfully and I hope we can muster enough crew to make this happen. Our youth program is important, but we are in an anomaly of a year and we cannot do all the programs we have in the past.


 

We fully intend on having a non-abridged or in any way abbreviated sail training this year and in fact, require it to satisfy the Coast Guard for our manning requirements to bring ELISSA to dry-dock. The orientation for 2012 sail training will take place on Saturday August 2011 and finish on June 9, 2012,

Seamanship Training 2011–2012 will begin on August 27, 2011, and will consist of 20 day-long sessions and one half-day session (Class 0), the last of which will be on June 9, 2012, just weeks before we go to shipyard. It is anticipated that once we return form shipyard, we will have a couple of refresher classes before we put to sea and sail our beautiful ELISSA. The schedule takes into account holidays, so that there are no more than two weeks between classes.

Here is the 2011-12 sail training schedule:

MMC & Instructor training             August 6, 2011

MMCI training                     August 27, 2011

Seamanship Training Schedule

Class 0        08/27/2011

Class 1         09/10/2011

Class 2        09/24/2011

Class 3        10/08/2011 (Volunteer Appreciation Party)

Class 4        10/22/2011

Class 5        11/12/2011

Class 6         11/19/2011

Class 7        12/03/2011 (Dickens)

Class 8        12/17/2011

Class 9        01/7/2012

Class 10        01/24/2012

Class 11        02/04/2012

Class 12        02/11/2012

Class 13        02/25/2012

Class 14        03/03/2012

Class 15        03/24/2012

Class 16        04/14/2012

Class 17        04/28/2012

Class 18        05/12/2012

Class 19        05/19/2012

Class 20        06/09/2012

As stated earlier, TSM needs office help to assist in keeping things up and running. We will need volunteers to assist Becky with filing and answering the phones, with helping to schedule overnight programs and school groups on Seagull II in addition to other duties to help supply our fundraisers with any information they may need. It is anticipated that we will need up to 6 or so volunteers that can commit to 2 or 3 hours a day ( remember that these hours will count toward securing a berth during daysails, but to be crew you will have to still adhere to the protocols and procedures in place). Any help you can give will be of great benefit to all of TSM and will be greatly and deeply appreciated by me. I will be needing help in getting the shipyard repair bid specification packages put together and other assistance in my role as director.


 

I know I am asking a lot of you and that far too often there is the illusion on the part of some people in non-profits, who ought to know better, that volunteers are a "free resource", requiring little or no supervision or resources. I want to assure you that nothing could be further from the truth – I know how valuable an asset you are and will strive to do my best in keeping the good of the ship and gratitude for your efforts foremost in my mind. You are the life that flows through every stand of wire, every fiber of cordage aboard ELISSA…and magic spark of a waterborne dream. Let's continue to dream and sweat together in hoisting aloft topgallants and royals to the collective and collaborative refrain of …

Keep ELISSA Sailing.


 

Your shipmate,

Jamie


 

James L. White

Director

Texas Seaport Museum / 1877 ELISSA

"Of all the living creatures upon land and sea, it is ships alone that cannot be

taken in by barren pretences, that will not put up with bad art from their masters"

(Joseph Conrad ~ Mirror of the Sea).