Schooner sheltered in Bristol

Sail training vessel spent 10 days on town marina

Story and photos by Ed Gifford
Posted 10/6/26

The 137-foot sail training schooner Denis Sullivan of Milwaukee, Wisconsin found shelter from the Nor’easter from Wednesday, Sept. 23 through Saturday, Oct. 3 on the south-facing dock of the …

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Schooner sheltered in Bristol

Sail training vessel spent 10 days on town marina

Posted

The 137-foot sail training schooner Denis Sullivan of Milwaukee, Wisconsin found shelter from the Nor’easter from Wednesday, Sept. 23 through Saturday, Oct. 3 on the south-facing dock of the Bristol town marina.

According to crew member Leo Madison, 21, also of Milwaukee, the Denis Sullivan was built in Milwaukee and launched in 2000. It is a replica of a Great Lakes cargo schooner, which would have carried lumber, ore and coal back in the day.

This ship is owned and operated by the non-profit World Ocean School and functions as an on-water school. Over 25,00 students have sailed onboard the Denis Sullivan since 2002. studying a STEM (Science, Technology ,Engineering, Math) curriculum and training to become sailors.

The Denis Sullivan was on her way to Mystic, Conn. from Maine when they decided to take shelter in Bristol Harbor. The ship will eventually end up in Saint Croix, U.S.V.I. for the winter.

Madson found Bristol to be quite satisfactory in every way. “We like Bristol a lot,” he said. “And there are certainly a lot of good coffee shops here. This is the perfect harbor to weather a Nor’easter in, and the people have been very friendly.”

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