Gazela of Philadelphia

one of the oldest still sailing wooden square riggers of the world

built 1883 in Portugal as a sailing trade vessel for European waters

1900 purchased by the Bensaude family and converted to a fishing boat carriing dories, used in the Grand Banks (Newfoundland) fishing cod with about 35 dories for the next 70 years

in the 1930s refitted to sail in the Arctic Circle between Greenland and the Baffin Island (new engine in 1938)

new pilot house in 1958 to safe the crew from being swept from the deck by boarding seas

last fishing trip in 1969, purchased and donated to the Philadelphia Maritime Museum in 1970, left Europe for the USA in 1971

used as a static museum in Philadelphia for the next 4 years

1975 refitted to make the ship seaworthy as a training ship and sailing museum

participated the Operation Sail 1976 and the Statue of Liberty celebrations in New York 1982, several sail training cruises until 1983

extensive restoration in 1983-84, after that one of the longest voyages since leaving the cod fleet via Boston, Portland, Bath, Halifax, Lunenburg, Prince Edward Island, Gaspe, Quebec City, New London, Baltimore, Annapolis

today she is a sail training ship as well as a living museum and good-will ambassador for the international seaport of Philadelphia

1992 sailed to New York and later on to New England, Baltimore and Bristol (Pennsylvania)

film career 1993 when she was filmed for "Interview with a Vampire" and as a featured tall-ship in a PBS Documentary "The Irish in America, the long journey home" in 1998

sailed to Nova Scotia to take part in making of the French film "La Veuve du St. Pierre" (The widow of St. Pierre) in 1999

sailed to San Juan, Puerto Rico and sic cities on the U.S. East coast as part of OpSail 2000