Exciting weekend event this Saturday with the return of the restored 1885 full-rigged cargo sailing ship Wavertree at Pier 16 in the East River (Fulton and South Streets).
This incredible event will allow kids of all ages to see the return of the Seaport Museum‘s flagship shop after her 16-month, $13 million restoration.
With a fascinating history, the 1885 ship Wavertree was built in Southampton, Great Britain and circled the Earth four times, carrying a wide variety of cargoes. In 1910, after thirty-five years of sailing, she was caught in a Cape Horn storm that tore down her masts and ended her career as a cargo ship. She was salvaged and used as a floating warehouse and then a sand barge in South America, where the waterfront workers referred to her as “el gran Valero,” the great sailing ship, because even without her masts she was obviously a great windjammer. She was saved by the Seaport Museum in 1968 and towed to New York to become the iconic centerpiece of the “Street of Ships” at South Street.
This family-friendly event will include live music, a mobile letterpress print shop, educational activities and the chance to see fireboats spraying water, a bell-ringing, flag raising, a cheer to the ship and the the appearance of tons of special guests including Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, Council Member Margaret Chin, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Commissioner Feniosky Peña-Mora of the NYC Department of Design and Construction, and Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.
The following Thursday, September 29, the museum will provide supporters the first opportunity to climb aboard the restored Wavertree for a cocktail reception, laying the groundwork for Wavertree’s activation as a destination and educational platform and will provide needed operational funding for the Museum’s activities. For more information or to purchase tickets, email [email protected]. or visit, https://southstreetseaportmuseum.org/toasttowavertree/.
Details:
Return of the 1885 Full-Rigged Ship Wavertree
September 24, 2016 from 1pm to 6pm at Pier 16
For more information or to purchase tickets, email [email protected]. or visit, https://southstreetseaportmuseum.org/toasttowavertree/.
