As the country approaches its 250th anniversary, one of Martha’s Vineyard’s most beloved symbols of maritime heritage is setting sail on its final season. The 108-foot wooden topsail schooner Shenandoah, a regular majestic sight in Vineyard Haven Harbor, and the only vessel of her size known to operate without an engine in the world, will retire after its annual voyage with Chilmark students in their first week of school after Labor Day. Designed and built in 1964 by Island legend Capt. Robert S. Douglas Sr., and modeled after an 1849 revenue cutter called Joe Lane, the Shenandoah has sailed 63 seasons and shaped tens of thousands of lives through hands-on education programs, now run through the Martha’s Vineyard Ocean Academy. While bittersweet, the retirement paves the way for Shenandoah II, a steel-hulled successor designed by Douglas himself. Current Capt. Ian Ridgeway, executive director of the academy, said they plan to preserve the original hull as a waterfront exhibit, ensuring her legacy as a piece of American history that lives on for future generations. Michael Blanchard, photographer of the above picture, plans to create a “Shenandoah Through the Years” video later this summer.
Sailing into the Fourth
