GALVESTON, Texas (April 13, 2023) Ernestina-Morrissey, a grand banks fishing schooner and last fishing schooner built for the Wonson Fish Company, left, Pride of Baltimore 2, a square-topsail schooner and reconstruction of an early 19th-century Baltimore Clipper, middle, and Elissa, a three-masted barque and one of three ships of her kind still active, transit the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Galveston Beach during Tall Ships Challenge Galveston 2023. Launched as Effie M. Morrissey in 1894 in Essex, Massachusetts, this historic schooner’s first lives were as Gloucester Grand Banks fisherman, Arctic explorer, and WWII survey/supply vessel. With significant recent commitments from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and two generous private donors, and continued fundraising, Ernestina-Morrissey recently completed full restoration at Boothbay Harbor/Bristol Marine Shipyard in Maine. Pride of Baltimore 2 is Maryland’s working symbol of the great natural resources and spectacular beauty of the Chesapeake Bay region and a reminder of America’s rich maritime heritage. Pride of Baltimore II’s mission is to educate the public on Maryland’s maritime history, tradition and commerce opportunities. Galveston Historical Foundation brought Elissa, an 1877 square-rigged iron barque, from a scrap yard in Piraeus Harbor, Greece to Galveston to begin restoration work in 1978. By 1982, GHF staff and volunteers completed restoration and transformed this rare, historic vessel into a floating museum that would actively sail. Elissa welcomes over 40,000 visitors annually and serves as the Official Tall Ship of Texas, a National Historic Landmark and a symbol of the Gulf Coast’s historic beginnings as a seaport and active waterfront. Founded in 1973, Tall Ships America is a non-profit organization commended by Congress as The National Sail Training Organization representing the United States. The 2023 Tall Ships Galveston festival at the Galveston Historic Seapo