Ship profile for the sailing ship: "Grace Bailey"

Technical data of the sailing ship:

Name:Grace Bailey
Ex-names:Mattie
Registered port:Camden, Maine
Nation:USA
Type of rigging:SCHONER
Year built:1882
Yard:Boatyard Oliver Perry Smith, Patchogue, NY, USA
Overall length:37.50 m
Length (hull):24.70 m
Breadth:7.15 m
Draught:1.80 m
Sail area:480 m2
Ship's hull:Holz / Wood
Engine:keine/none

Portrait of the sailing ship:

Last update: 14 May 2022

  • built as the schooner "Grace Bailey" by Oliver Perry Smith at his boatyard in Patchogue, New York, in 1882.
  • originally constructed to serve the needs of the Edwin Bailey and Sons Lumber Company by carrying lumber from southern ports to Patchogue.
  • 1882-1914 she was engaged in the coasting and foreign trades and her homeports were the Great South Bay towns of Patchogue and Sayville, registered for foreign trade during the summers of 1887-1890 and 1895, voyages to the West Indies.
  • January 1915 until March 1919 her homeport was New Haven, Connecticut, used in the coasting trade, most likely sailing on Long Island Sound, carrying oysters and oyster shells, perhaps potatoes to New York City, perhaps sand from the quarries along the north shore of Long Island, after this service, her homeport was again Patchogue until the end of 1919.
  • 1906 rebuilt and renamed the "Mattie", Martha Bailey became share holder of the ship, but reluctantly sold her share to Captain Herbert L. Black, when he purchased the ship in December 1910 as replacement for his accidentally rammed and sunk schooner "Oakwoods".
  • since 1920 homeported in Belfast, Maine, until 1939 she was used as a sailing bay coaster carrying general cargo and pulpwood to Bucksport and Brewer, and perhaps coal to Maine islands, boxwood from Ellsworth to Lynn, salt cod from Maine ports to Gloucester, and hardwood to Boston, also it is likely that she carried granite from Crotch Island to New York City.
  • 1937 sold to Captain William F. Shepherd of Deer Isle, Maine, who continued to operate her as a coaster until 1939.
  • 1939-40 chartered by Captain Frank Swift of Camden, who bought her in 1940 and added her to his fleet of cruise schooners sailing out of Camden, Maine Windjammer Cruises is a small business that offers sailing vacations to paying guests aboard traditional sailing vessels.
  • during summer 1942 chartered by the Maine Maritime Academy as training ship, after that she has continued sailing as a Camden cruise schooner captained by different owners, since 1985 property of Captain Ray and Ann Williamson from Camden, who renamed her after restoring the ship in 1989-90 to her original name "Grace Bailey" again.
  • National Historic Landmark vessel of the United States since 1992.
  • originally rigged with fore and main topmasts and topsails, jibboom, and flying jib, the main topmast was removed when she became a cruise schooner, today she appears without any topsails, carries neither inboard engines nor powered deck machinery, propulsion when needed being provided by a small yawl boat with an inboard motor.
  • charter trips with sailing guests operated by Maine Windjammer Cruises.
  • originally named after the first owner's daughter Grace Bailey, also Mattie, a pet name for Martha Bailey, the first owners's granddaughter, was chosen by the Bailey family.

Contact:

Website (English, 14 May 2022):
https://www.mainewindjammercruises.com/the-fleet/grace-bailey/
Schooner Grace Bailey: charter website with a photo and short description, contact for sailing on board

Literature for further reading:

We recommend the following references for your further research of the ship. The references marked with have been included in the generation of the ship profile on this page.

Ollivier Puget, Jean-Noël Darde
"Partir sur les Grand Voiliers - Le guide pour embarquer"
Guides Balland 2000 ISBN: 2-7158-1277-9
Page: 86 Source with picture Source with history Source with technical data Quelle with contact

American Sail Training Association (ASTA)
"Sail Tall Ships! A Directory of Sail Training and Adventure at Sea"
2007 ISBN: 978-0-9799878-0-9
(17th Edition)
Page: 164 Source with picture Source with history Source with technical data Quelle with contact