The Highlander Sea will not sail this 2010 season. The ship has returned (from her winter berth at Port Huron Yacht Club) to her regular mooring site at the Bean Dock (Seaway Terminal). Now area residents and visitors alike can view the tall ship from the Bean Dock's upper deck parking lot at 2336 Military Street (near the eastern end of I-69) in Port Huron.
Liz Mathews, Highlander Sea office manager since April of 2006, has relocated to the Great Lakes Maritime Center at Vantage Point in Port Huron. Her duties will include coordinating Center volunteers and scheduling meetings and events at the Center.
Liz will continue to manage the Acheson Ventures' annual Flower Market outside the Maritime Center (every Saturday begining May 8 and continuing through June 19). The annual AV Farmer's Market (every Saturday and Tuesday beginning July 13 & 17 and continuing through the end of October) is on her agenda as well.
Any person or group interested in renting space at the Seaway Terminal (Bean Dock) for an event (i.e. wedding reception, non-profit project, etc.) will work with Liz, too. Plus, she will handle Highlander Sea information inquiries.
Her hours are Sunday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. She can be reached at the Maritime Center (51 Water Street) at 810-985-3983.
Liz and her husband, Joel, live in Port Huron. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.
The following is an e-mail sent by Highlander Sea Capt. Benjamin Hale on October 29, 2009:
"Dear Volunteers,
"OK, time to clear the air. There's been a lot of doubt concerning Highlander Sea's future in Port Huron after the cancellation of the 2009 season. Early this year, Acheson Ventures cut Highlander Sea's funding primarily because, as a vessel offering passenger sails to the general public, her method of operation did not offer hopes of long-term sustainability nor invite a lot of community support. Selling Highlander Sea is presently being considered. However, in spite of the financial cuts, Acheson Ventures would like to see Highlander Sea remain in the area.
"So, with help from some of the volunteers, I put together a proposal to create a non-profit organization that would use Highlander Sea as an educational tool. The vision is to create a program that would introduce students to opportunities in the maritime industry, promote conservation of the Great Lakes, and teach the importance of human cooperation. Under such management, she would be of better service to the community as well as part of a more sustainable program.
"The proposal was met with enthusiasm, but a majority of the operational cost will have to be covered by the non-profit organization through grants, revenue, and donations as well as contributed labor. Acheson Ventures will still allow the use of the boat and the terminal and contribute a fraction of the cost. The philosophy basically is this: If the community (not just the Port Huron community, but that of the region) wants the ship to remain an asset to the area, the community will have to rally together and contribute in order to offset some of the expense.
"So, I will need the help of volunteers now more than ever if we want to secure a future for Highlander Sea as Port Huron's flagship. If you have the skills or are interested, I will need your help with any of the following this winter: Fundraising, program and education development, business and marketing, volunteer coordination, maintenance of the boat, and shop maintenance.
"Some of you have already done a great job performing some of the tasks listed above and I hope you continue to do so as well as provide guidance to those stepping up to the challenge. If I hold off on using skills that you bring to the table, don't be discouraged. It may take a little time to determine how best to utilize your help as I work through the research and development of the program, but by all means keep in contact.
"I am optimistic that this can work, but it will require your support. Other organizations have been successful with much less financially, due to volunteer and community support. Some still survive even though they have had to raise funds or take out loans in order to acquire the necessary assets whereas we already have a vessel, an office, and a dock. It's a good head start, but we must act now or we will lose this opportunity and Highlander Sea will leave Port Huron for good.
"If you are interested or want to find out more, please call me at (810) 966-3488. Or, my e-mail address is caphighlandersea@achesonventures.com"
The following note was sent to Liz Mathews, Office Manager for Highlander Sea, from the Bob Koppel family after their ride on the tall ship: "We just wanted the Captain and crew of Highlander Sea to know what a wonderful time we had on the sail! Saturday (September 20, 2008) was a beautiful day and the sail was perfect. The crew answered any questions posed to them. Please pass along our gratitude for a wonderful adventure!"
Tall ship Highlander Sea sails through a beautiful sunrise on Lake Huron.
Highlander Sea completed her 2008 sailing season successfully. We had a breezy summer with the occasional thunderstorm, but passenger response was positive.
As down rigging reaches completion, we continue to prepare for a two week dry-dock at Great Lakes Towing Co. in Cleveland Ohio. The primary purpose of this dry-docking is so the Coast Guard can examine the hull to ensure that she is structurally sound. We will take advantage of our time out of the water to perform any maintenance on the hull that could not be done otherwise.
Elizabeth Matthews (she likes to be called Liz) joined the HighlanderSea family in April of 2006 as Office Manager. A Port Huron native, Liz and her husband, Joel, have a daughter, Amanda, who lives in Kalamazoo. When Liz finds extra time in her busy life, she enjoys going to Tiger games, walking along the St. Clair River, and volunteering at Evangelical Nursing Home in Fort Gratiot.
Since joining Highlander Sea, Liz has been organizing the office, booking day sails and voyages, learning about the ship and her crew, getting ready for the 2006 sailing season and educational tours for fifth graders from throughout the Blue Water Area, and finding out that left is port and right is starboard.
Highlander Sea Refit at the Soo
The ship's current crew, during the refit in the Soo, consists of Captain Micah Allnutt, Chief Mate Ben Hale, and Andros Kypragoras, our carpenter.
Chief Mate Ben Hale has been busy measuring and planning the replacement of the ballast on the ship. This is an incredibly technical endeavor and is being done in conjunction with our Naval Architect and under the auspices of the Coast Guard.
Carpenter Andros has been overseeing four to six ship carpenters and additional laborers from the marine. He has been the mastermind and problem solver for a myriad of technical and tactical circumstances that have come up since the refit started. He has been on a veritable scavenger hunt for a ships saw, a crane capable of lifting the foremast, a way to get the crane in place (no problem - you just spin the dry dock), lumber (which we were lucky to find in our home state), a mill that could handle the lengths required (South Carolina) and competent ship carpenters willing to work in the Soo (that was a real selling job when it was below zero).
The project involves people and vendors from all over the country. We have carpenters in from the east coast and the mid-west. Andros has been ordering supplies from California to Maine to South Carolina. The trip the timber is taking is the most adventurous, traveling from the forests of mid-Michigan and Tennessee down to a mill in South Carolina and then trucking up to Sault Ste. Marie for placement by the carpenters.
The owner of the mill, Churchill Hornstein, spent a weekend "wood shopping" with Andros in Michigan, where they found some "gorgeous" (their word, not ours) oak trees. Churchill is also involved in the Spirit of South Carolina project. This tall ship is currently being built by a foundation in Charleston, SC. Churchill has challenged us to a race once both of these magnificent ships are completed. The challenge was accepted once we were assured by our crew that Highlander Sea would win, providing she had feathered props (seems the crew is always trying to get these).
Along with our resident expert, Andros, we have continuing input from a naval architect, Tim Graul; a former mentor, Dave Short; and visiting engineer, Jim Jefferson.
Captain Micah and Chief Mate Ben have been busy working with the architect and the engineer on the interior design of the boat. Ben has tracked down some original ship drawings from the Hart Nautical Museum at M.I.T.
The project is quite an undertaking and involves an incredible commitment by Dr. James Acheson for the financing and the crew for the labor.
Crew, volunteers, and members of Acheson Ventures helped Highlander Sea celebrate her 80th birthday on October 2, 2004. Please take a look at her history page to appreciate what 80 years of being a wooden tall ship involves. Thanks to her ever vigilant crew and enthusiastic volunteers, she looks wonderful. Happy Birthday Highlander Sea! May you celebrate many more.