Launched in March 2007, the Spirit of South Carolina is certified by the United States Coast Guard.  The Spirit and its programs are managed by the South Carolina Maritme Foundation, a public, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization established for the express purpose of reviving interest in our important maritime history.

The ship is a pilot Schooner reminiscent of the Frances Elizabeth, a vessel that was originally built by the Samuel J. Pregnall & Bros. Shipyard in Charleston in 1879.  Plans for the Frances Elizabeth, from which the new ship has been adapted, were found in the Smithsonian Institute.  The ship's towering rig, huge wooden booms, and traditional sails and rigging are an impressive sight. 

Specifications:

Vessel Type................

Designers....................

Master Shipwright.......

Construction................

Spars..........................

Length on Deck...........

Length Overall.............

Beam...........................

Draft............................

Displacement...............

Hull Speed..................

Capacity......................

Current Sail Area........

     Main......................

     Fore.......................

     Maintop.................

     Staysail..................

     Jib..........................

Power.........................

Certifications...............

Cruising Waters...........

Two-masted Schooner

Tri-Coastal Marine

Mark Bayne, Sea Island Shipwrights

Traditional methods using yellow pine planking over sawn oak frames

Laminated Douglas Fir

90.7 feet

140 feet

23.7 feet

10.3

150 tons

12.5 knots

30
5,198 square feet

1,883 s.f.

1,357 s.f.

259 s.f

954 s.f.

745 s.f.

Twin Cummins 230-horsepower diesel engines

United States Coast Guard

Certified Passenger Vessel (subchapter T)

Sailing School Vessel (subchapter R) pending

North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and the Canadian Maritimes