After six years of construction, Brigantine Matthew Turner is now transitioning from construction to operation in order to perform its vital mission of educating young people in the Bay Area and beyond. To perform this mission, Matthew Turner requires a Certificate of Inspection (COI) which is issued by the Marine Safety Division of the United States Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard’s job is to ensure that the new education tall ship has the equipment, documentation and the crew to successfully operate the vessel. We thought you might be interested in some additional details on this process as we chart a course toward getting the vessel’s COI.
From an equipment standpoint, the Coast Guard certified Matthew Turner’s unique Hybrid Marine propulsion system earlier in 2019. The current focus is the final installation and certification of the safety and navigation equipment. For those of you who have visited the Matthew Turner recently, you will have noticed the installation of numerous items of safety equipment on the vessel. Call of the Sea has installed the latest navigation technology to ensure the tall ship can operate both locally and globally. Since Matthew Turner is a new vessel, construction documentation is being carefully reviewed by the Coast Guard to ensure all systems are documented accurately and comply with all relevant Coast Guard standards. Many areas of documentation are already complete and during the third quarter of 2019, the ship successfully passed its stability test that validated its ability to respond to the demands of an ocean-going environment. Finally, in the coming first quarter of 2020, Matthew Turner’s crew readiness will be tested in their ability to respond to a variety of emergencies including fire, flood and man overboard. The U.S. Coast Guard carefully observes the crew as they respond to these unlikely events.
All of us at Call of the Sea are excited about completing brigantine Matthew Turner and bringing the ship to life. A ship is not just wood and steel, but the knowledge and crew necessary to safely operate under the harshest of maritime conditions…the vessel is now in the final stages of completing that journey. With our supporters continued support, both in donations and volunteer labor, we’re hopeful the vessel will be put into service for the Spring 2020 school field trip season.
Donate Here
or send checks (please specify Matthew Turner project) or donor advised funds to:
Call of the Sea, Matthew Turner Project
3020 Bridgeway #278
Sausaltio, CA 94965
Generous support provided by The Thoresen Foundation
Square sails raised for the first time
Captains at the helm
