Event

Pop up at the Drydock

Pop Up at the Dry Dock

Due to weather, this event has been moved indoors to the Mercer Cafe in the Navy Yard. The address is 4920 South 15th Street. You will still be able to see Gazela.

Please join us on September 10 at 5 p.m. at Dry Dock No. 2, operated by Rhoads Industries at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, to celebrate the completion of a project to repair and inspect Philadelphia's official Tall Ship, Gazela Primeiro. This is a rare opportunity to see a 114-year-old wooden ship in a 105-year old dry dock! There will be wine, and beer and light fare.

Proceeds benefit the continuing preservation efforts for Gazela.

Gazela was built in 1901 in Portugal and actively sailed as part of the cod fishing fleet in the Grand Banks and Davis Strait until 1969. She was built before the Wright Brothers flew and was still fishing the North Atlantic when men walked on the moon. In 1971, philanthropist William Wikoff Smith purchased the ship and sailed her to Philadelphia with a volunteer crew. She has served as Philadelphia's sailing good will ambassador at maritime events ever since.
The primary purpose of the recent dry docking project was to inspect selected framing of Gazela's hull below the waterline, which will help determine the extent of future rebuild work. The ship is scheduled to be relaunched later in September. The project is funded entirely by individual donations and a generous matching grant from the W. W. Smith Charitable Trust.

Check out our facebook page at Barkentine Gazela for photos and video of the dry docking project and find out more information about the ship and the non-profit Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild at www.philashipguild.org.