Phase Two Begins

02 Dec Phase Two Begins

The tour season at Tall Ship Providence ends as Phase Two begins for our repairs. As you may remember, last year we discovered some damage to our ship that required some repairs by the experts at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. They completed Phase One of the project last summer, which allowed us to offer Dockside Tours and events aboard our ship. Now it is time to start the next phase of the project, and we need your help to do it. If you would like to start your year end giving by making a sustaining gift on GivingTuesday, your support will go a log way toward getting our ship sailing again.

Providence arrives in Georgetown

The incredible crew of Sloop Providence left Alexandria on the evening of November 14th. One advantage to a downrigged ship is the ability to pass under the bridge with no problem. When fully rigged, we must raise the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, which can be a bit of a hassle! We embarked on a two day journey – one day to get down the Potomac, another to sail up the Chesapeake Bay.

We were lucky to sail with some of our most experienced hands for those two days. The gales of November came early, and by 10 AM on Sunday, gale force winds buffeted our ship. By the time we turned into the Sassafras River, the wind had died down and we were able to safely dock the ship. But… why did we need to brave the weather in the first place?

Haulout as Phase Two Begins

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime museum is wonderful, but unfortunately does not specialize in ships with fiberglass hulls like ours. The hull is the outside of our ship that is mostly below the waterline and was one of the major concerns of our captain after the initial inspection. To understand the extent of any damage caused by potentially trapped water in important structural parts of the ship, and how it would affect our ability to rebuild the rigging, we needed to haul Providence out of the water. We do this from time to time for inspection and general upkeep, but this time we are bringing in a specialist to give us more answers about the problems below the waterline.

Phase Two begins with a thorough inspection of the hull. This will help us guide the next phase of our repairs which we expect to consist of some changes to our hull to support the rigging of the ship more effectively. We won’t know exactly what this will look like (or cost) until later in the process, so stay tuned. For now, this initial work will still cost a pretty penny. Consider helping us towards our goal of $11,500 to cover the cost of our stay in the yard.

Current Cost Breakdown of Phase Two

$5,000 – Boat Lift, Launch, and Yard Labor

Lifts large enough to pick up Providence are hard to come by, and not cheap to rent! Add in the labor costs, and you find yourself with a hefty price tag.

$3,500 – Bottom Paint

Industry best practice is to repaint the bottom of the hull any time you have the opportunity when hauling out.  When Providence was hauled, our captain took a look and determined she could certainly use a fresh coat. Quality bottom paint is incredibly expensive – it can run between $300-350 per gallon due to the high copper content that works to protect the hull from corrosion and damage.

$2,500 – Painters

Labor is expensive, and Providence deserves a job done right. For the amount of time it takes to apply two coats, we anticipate approximately $2,500 in labor costs.

$500 – Additional Parts & Expenses

We will inevitably encounter additional expenses as we make minor repairs to the hull that cannot otherwise be made in the water. 

What is next?

While Phase Two begins up in the yard, here at home there is still so much to look forward to. Tours are on pause for the winter, but we are excited to continue some of our community programming through these colder months. Follow our social media for updates, events, and of course educational content over the next few months. We have our annual holiday celebrations like the Scottish Walk and Parade of Lights. We also will continue our monthly Shanty Sings on our dock with support from the Pier Bar. Finally, January marks the start of the monthly Sea Story Speaker Series which we launched this year to great success. We look forward to continuing to spread maritime tradition and education to students young and old in 2026. We hope to see you aboard Tall Ship Providence!