The magic of Virginia continues to grow in our historic City of Ships. On April 25th, 1997, Denis Thoet, “Bev” Bevilacqua, Richard Cromwell, and Jane Stevens signed the Articles of Incorporation for Virginia Project, Inc, what we all know now as Maine’s First Ship. Twenty-five years later, under the eyes of shipwright Rob Stevens and board chair Orman Hines, MFS launched the reconstruction of the Pinnace Virginia into the Kennebec, even though rigging and construction were ongoing.

In 2023, Virginia made historic port visits to Boothbay Harbor, Colonial Pemaquid, and Squirrel Island in addition to carrying a limited number of the long-imagined paying passengers and high school students. Yet in the spring of 2024, Virginia remains a vessel “under construction.”

You can play a significant role in helping Virginia realize the dream of our founders – our patriarchs and matriarchs who believed in building a ship when others did not. This spring we will raise the funds needed to meet final construction and certification expenses such as a haul out for USCG inspection, permitted electrical panels and wires, carpentry elements such as permanent hatches, and a public head.