Pensacola Waives Dock Fees for Public Education
by Jeremy Morrison, Inweekly
As Pensacola attempts to position itself as a player in the world of sailing — courting U.S. Cup competitor American Magic with a spot at the port and imagining the city as a training and educational hub — locals with an opportunity to have an up-close look at a notable sailing ship docked at the municipal dock downtown.
During mid-March, a vessel with the non-profit Sailing Ships of Maine will be docked in Pensacola, on the final week of a 65-day ocean-classroom expedition. In exchange for the city of Pensacola waiving docking fees, the organization will be offering free tours to the general public, as well as local students.
In a request to the city, Sailing Ships of Maine Port Captain Pamela Coughlin requested the waiver and relayed the organization’s mission to “provide hands-on educational opportunities for people of all ages to learn about teamwork, leadership, marine science and maritime history.”
“The Schooner Harvey Gamage is a beautiful and well-maintained vessel that would be a great attraction to your dock,” Coughlin wrote in a Jan. 25 letter offering the free tours. “These tours would provide students and visitors with a unique and educational experience, and would help to promote your facility and the community.”
Members of the Pensacola City Council — technically sitting as the Community Redevelopment Area board — approved Sailing Ships of Maine’s request to waive the dockage fees Monday with a unanimous vote. The vessel will be docked in Pensacola overnight Feb 26, then for ten days in March, from March 17 to 27; the cost estimate of the fees is $689.78.
The Schooner Harvey Gamage was launched in 1973. She is a wooden, 131-foot gaff-rigged topsail schooner with bunk space for 39 people. The ship’s home port is in Portland, Maine.
Over the last couple of years, Harvey Gamage has sailed from Maine to Alabama, completing two semesters at sea, as well as a collection of shorter educational voyages, with a variety of youth groups. Typically, the vessel sails with 9 professional crew and 22 youth trainees.
As it passes through Pensacola this year, Harvey Gamage will carry 19 students from the Naval Sea Cadet Core. Prior to the city’s waiving of the docking fees, the NSCC’s Scott Boyd made the case that the sailing organization was a beneficial program that could use a break on local fees.
“We charter it for about a week, and our cadets learn all about sail handling, how to navigate the ship, do watch-standing. It teaches a lot of responsibility, we think it’s a great program, we just need a little help with the program,” Boyd told CRA members, adding that students from the local area would be participating. “We’ve got cadets from Pensacola, we’ve got cadets from Mobile, Panama City, and Tallahassee all signed up for this cruise and we could use a little support and help from the city of Pensacola.”
The free tours will be offered during the Schooner Harvey Gamage’s 10-day stay in March. The public tours will be offered March 19 and 26, while the scheduling of school tours will be determined by the city.
For more information about the Schooner Harvey Gamage and Sailing Ships Maine, visit https://sailingshipsmaine.org/harvey-gamage