''Adventure'' is a

gaff rig Gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the ''gaff''. Because of the size and sh ...

ged knockabout

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

. She was built in Essex, Massachusetts, USA, and launched in 1926 to work the

Grand Banks The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordfi ...

fishing grounds out of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

. She is one of only two surviving ''knockabout'' fishing schooners – ships designed without bowsprits for the safety of her crew. ''Adventure'' was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1994,
underwent a substantial restoration in 2012, and sails today in the tourist trade out of Gloucester.

History

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and built at the John F. James & Son Yard in Essex, Massachusetts, for Captain Jeff Thomas of Gloucester, ''Adventure'' was one of the last wooden sailing vessels of her kind built for the

dory Dory most commonly refers to: * Dory (boat), a small, shallow-draft boat * Dory, the common name of several fish; see List of fishes known as dory * Dory (''Finding Nemo''), a fictional character Dory may also refer to: Arts and entertainmen ...

-fishing industry. ''Adventure'', named for one of the fantasy fleet of ships drawn by Captain Thomas's young son, is a knockabout schooner, designed without a

bowsprit The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar (sailing), spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay that counteracts the forces from the forestay, forestays. The bowsprit’s purpose is to create ...

for the safety of the crew. The McManus knockabout design was regarded by maritime historian, Howard I. Chapelle, as "the acme in the long evolution of the

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

fishing schooner." Launched on 16 September 1926, ''Adventure'' measured overall, sported a

and carried a diesel engine, and a crew of twenty-seven. She fished the once bountiful Grand Banks of the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for ...

from her home port of Gloucester from 1926 to 1953 under Captain Jeff Thomas and later, Captain Leo Hynes. ''Adventure'' was the biggest money-maker of the time, landing nearly $4 million worth of cod and halibut in her fishing career. Her retirement marked the end of the American dory-fishing schooner in the North Atlantic. In 1954, ''Adventure'' was sold to Donald Hurd, Dayton Newton, and Herbert Beizer and refitted for the

windjammer A windjammer is a commercial sailing ship with multiple masts, however rigged. The informal term "windjammer" arose during the transition from the Age of Sail to the Age of Steam during the 19th century. The Oxford English Dictionary records t ...

tourist trade, carrying vacationing passengers up and down the

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

coast. The fish pens were converted into cabins and the engine removed to make room for sleeping quarters. ''Adventure''s prowess in the

Gulf of Maine The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America. It is bounded by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and by Cape Sable Island at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northea ...

earned her the nickname "Queen of the Windjammers." In 1964 she was sold to Captain Jim Sharp of

Camden, Maine Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,232 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is ...

, who continued her career in the tourist trade for nearly twenty-four years. In 1988, Captain Sharp donated ''Adventure'' to the people of Gloucester to be preserved as Gloucester's historic

tall ship A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigging, rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a r ...

, to be used to educate the public about the role of fishing in American history. In 1988, the non-profit group, Gloucester ''Adventure'', Inc., was formed to preserve the schooner as a monument to the history of Gloucester. Through the efforts of the Gloucester ''Adventure'', Inc. and dedicated volunteers, ''Adventure'' is now a destination site on the

Essex National Heritage Area The Essex National Heritage Area is a National Heritage Area composed of all of Essex County, Massachusetts. It is overseen by the Essex National Heritage Commission (ENHC), a non-profit organization based in Salem, Massachusetts. The commission ...

Maritime Trail, is listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and is a designated National Historic Landmark. In 1999, ''Adventure'' was selected as an Official Project of Save America's Treasures by the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

Restoration

Restoration work on ''Adventure'' was commenced in 2012 at Maritime Gloucester on Harbor Loop. In September 2012 she was fitted with a

Detroit Diesel Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) is an American diesel engine manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. It is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America, which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational Daimler Truck AG. ...

671 engine and moved under her own mechanical power for the first time since 1954. In August 2013 she left Gloucester Harbor under full sail, and received her Passenger Vessel certificate from the United States Coast Guard in June 2015.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adventure (Schooner) National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts Individual sailing vessels Tall ships of the United States Schooners of the United States Ships built in Essex, Massachusetts 1926 ships Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Gloucester, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, Massachusetts

History

Restoration

See also

References

External links