Seven months after it took over responsibility for maintaining and sailing the Erie-based Flagship Niagara, the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission has named a new captain.
On Monday, PHMC announced the appointment of Erie native Gregory Bailey, a former volunteer deckhand on the Brig Niagara, to serve as captain of Pennsylvania’s flagship.
Bailey developed a love of his sailing during his youth and went on to sail aboard tall ships around the globe, according to PHMC.
A certified teacher who has worked with the Ocean Classroom Foundation, Bailey holds a master captain’s license that allows him to command vessels of under 1,600 tons on both the ocean and Great Lakes. He has served in a number of roles during his tall ships sailing career, including time as the captain of the Amistad, a topsail schooner based in New Haven, Connecticut.
A new mission
One of Bailey’s first duties will be to oversee a two-part restoration of the Niagara and to sail it to dry dock, most likely in Cleveland, for mechanical repairs later this summer. In this first round of repairs, the Niagara’s propellers will be replaced and its two engines upgraded.
The next phase of restoration work, expected to be complete in 2025, will address structural issues, including stabilization of the bow, hull repair, and deck restoration.
For now, the Niagara, which is docked at the Erie Maritime Museum, has been placed on inactive status by the U.S. Coast Guard in consultation with PHMC. Bailey and his crew will be permitted to sail the ship for repairs.
Connected to Erie
Andrea Lowery, executive director of PHMC, said in a statement that she was confident in Bailey’s ability to provide leadership for the Niagara.
More: Flagship Brig Niagara will sail again in Erie. But when?
“Captain Bailey’s deep-rooted connection to Erie as well as his extensive maritime and educational expertise make him the ideal leader for this critical endeavor,” she said.
He becomes the first captain of the reconstructed historical ship since Jan. 1 when PHMC took responsibility for sailing and maintaining the ship from the Flagship Niagara League, which sailed the Niagara since 2009. Prior to that, PHMC sailed and operated the wooden ship between 1992 and 2009.
Interviewed in June, Wesley Heerssen, a former Niagara captain who served for a time this summer as a consultant to the Erie Maritime Museum and knew of Bailey’s selection in advance, said he was enthusiastic about the choice.
The new captain, he said, could be the best thing that ever happened to the floating museum.
Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Flagship Niagara: New captain named for historical boat
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