Captain Richard Bailey, who joined Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island as a board member in 1998 and later served as the founding ship captain, has departed the organization to join the schooner Spirit of South Carolina. His new command, though based in Charleston, South Carolina, is a frequent visitor to Newport and New England waters.
Spirit of South Carolina launched as a nonprofit school ship in 2007. It was recently acquired by two of Charleston’s business leaders, Michael Bennett and Tommy B. Baker, who funded a major refit of the vessel at Newport Shipyard last fall. The ship is now in Charleston being prepared for the season, and in June, the Spirit will head north for a program of port visits and teen summer camps in New England waters.
“I’m excited to be part of this new project, and also glad that we’ll be spending time in Newport and New England over the summer,” Captain Bailey said. “With dynamic new leadership in place and a solid base of financial support, I’m expecting a great future ahead for the Spirit.”
Captain Bailey previously served as captain of ‘HMS’ Rose, a three-masted square-rigged frigate, the largest ship ever certified by the US Coast Guard as a Sailing School Vessel. He also has served as captain aboard the sailing-school schooners Spirit of Massachusetts, Westward, and Harvey Gamage, and the three-masted barkentine Gazela Primeiro.
About Spirit of South Carolina
The Spirit of South Carolina is a pilot schooner reminiscent of the Frances Elizabeth, a vessel that was originally built in Charleston in 1879 and served pilots in the city’s harbor for 25 years. It took nearly six years to craft the boat, which launched in 2007. To date about 9,500 students have sailed aboard. More info: http://spiritofsc.org/
About Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island
Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island, a nonprofit group based in Newport, Rhode Island, has been working since 2008 to build and certify a 200-foot long, three-masted Sailing School Vessel. The eventual goal for this Class-A size Tall Ship is to provide education and adventure-at-sea programs for all ages, while promoting Rhode Island’s rich nautical heritage at Tall Ships events outside the state. More info: http:/www.ohpri.org/