Courtesy of the Tall Ship Providence Foundation
Alexandria will be getting her own tall ship this summer.
The Tall Ship Providence will be docked at Alexandria’s waterfront by mid-July, according to the Tall Ship Providence Foundation.
Clair Sassin, executive director of the Foundation, said Monday morning at a Visit Alexandria presentation, “We are thrilled to be bringing the tall ship providence to Alexandria’s ever-evolving waterfront experience. We’re really excited about bringing living history to the waterfront.”
The original Providence, then called “Katie,” was built in 1768 as a mariner’s ship. Seven years later, she was the lead ship of the Rhode Island Navy. While in Bermuda on a gun powder acquisition mission, Katie became the first ship authorized in the Continental Navy and was renamed Providence.
Two hundred years later, a replica of the Providence was created and she resided in Rhode Island for several years. It was this ship that the Tall Ship Providence Foundation purchased (read more about how that happened here).
The ship is currently in Maine being restored.
“We anticipate having Providence here, up and running with tours happening by mid-July,” Sassin said. The ship will be at the north end of Old Town’s waterfront in 2019, with plans to move to a new Alexandria maritime dock and pier in 2020.
Programming will include discussions and tours with character and historical interpreters. “The minute you walk on, you will be transformed to another place,” Sassin said.
Programs will also include charters for corporate and private events, weekly craft beer cruises with Port City Brewing Co., and family-friendly cruises.
Read more about the ship, her history and the process of bringing her to Alexandria here.
