An 1877 tall ship from Galveston, Texas is celebrating Sail Boston

Tall ships from more than 20 countries are sailing into Boston Harbor. The USS Constitution is escorting the ships led by the Coast Guard's Eagle. Among the vessels in the parade of sail, the Elissa, a tall ship launched in 1877 and now based in Galveston, Texas. Crew member Ryan Bradfield joins us from aboard. Ryan, good morning. Looks like a beautiful day for a sail. Oh my gosh, it's beautiful out here. I wish there were a little more wind, but I can't complain. Oh, that's right. You do need that wind. Where is the Elissa? So we're headed out to our parade staging grounds. We're 19th in the flotilla, so we have a little bit of a wait before we can join the parade. So right now we're under motor. You might be able to hear it in the background. We're getting some sails set, kind of put on the show, but we're headed out to hear the anchors to wait for our spot in the parade. Tell us your role on the ship. So I'm the port captain and director of the Galveston Storage Seaport. When we're actually sailing, though, I'm kind of the executive officer. So I'm taking care of the administration, kind of the sailing master. I'm not the captain, so to speak, but I'm here as kind of the lead ship expert, so to speak. And what does it take to prepare for a sail like this on such an old vessel? Oh my gosh, we did so much this year to get ready. We had a big dry dock period in February-April timeframe. We put a new engine in the boat, two new generators, a couple of new spars, sails, all the appliances, all the food. The list goes on and on and on. We were preparing since probably around February or March to get the vessel ready for this. Can you describe the Elissa for our listeners? So as you said in your introduction, Elissa was launched in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1877. She was kind of like a modern-day hot shot truck of the time. So she was what they call a tram trainer. She would go around from port to port picking up cargo and hauling things around. She did everything from timber to coal to bananas to cigarettes at one point. So now she is a sailing school vessel and museum ship. So throughout the year we train folks how to sail, maintain skills and the maintenance to keep the vessel alive. Physically, she is a three-masted bark. She's 205 feet long, 28 feet on the beam, and she has about 60 percent of her original riveted iron. Are you sailing at full canvas? We'll see. There's one sail that we might not set today. So we have 19 sails. We might not set our main sail because it lost the view of the captain. There's going to be a lot of traffic out here today, so we need to be able to see everybody. What are you and your crewmates most looking forward to today? For me personally, seeing Constitution and seeing her out. She's kind of like the golden child of the whole tall ship industry. We'll be the second oldest ship underway today, so it'll be pretty special for us personally. I think for the rest of the crew, just seeing other ships. We don't get a lot of visiting tall ships in Galveston, so seeing all these other vessels that are so famous and all these visiting military ships from other countries is just a huge gathering of us, and it's a really, really special day. For people unfamiliar with the tall ship experience, what makes these vessels so remarkable? Oh, man. It's almost a mystical experience, especially sailing at night out in the ocean. You see the stars, the sails are set. Climbing aloft is one of the biggest treats for us, going aloft in an early sail. You might be 100 feet off the water. The other day, we were aloft, and there were some humpback whales nearby. Part of that whole experience is kind of like a storybook. For me, it gives me chills every time we get underway. I love it. What does it mean to you to be a part of the crew on the Elissa, being as it's a National Historic Landmark? I consider myself as kind of a steward of the vessel. She has such a long wake and a long history, and just being able to be on board for this short period. I've been here for seven years as my full-time job, and being able to take care of her and keep her going for the next generation and her next 149 years, it's a special thing. Ryan Bradfield is on the crew of the Elissa. Ryan, thanks so much. Welcome to Boston and safe sailing. Thank you so much. All right. Take care. Thank you so much, and enjoy. Thank you. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.