Incorporated under the name St. Ignace Hospitality Growth, Inc., the group has signed a contract with the World Ocean School of Camden, Maine, the owner of the 137-foot, 220-ton, wooden, two-masted tall ship. It will be moored next to the St. Ignace Marina, in the spot now occupied by the Coast Guard museum ship Maple . Mr. Swope said the Maple’s owner, Chris Bloswick, is selling his ship.

The schooner Roseway (above, and left) will depart Maine for St. Ignace May 21. The dock is owned by the City of St. Ignace. Through a letter of intent signed at a special meeting Wednesday, February 16, the St. Ignace Harbor Authority has given Mr. Swope a five year moorage lease at $2,000 a year, free parking at the marina, and free use of a building for office and ticket sales.

“It’s been a long journey,” said Mr. Swope, “but we’ve all worked together to make it happen. Now, we just want to educate people that it’s coming here. ”

At first, Mr. Swope’s group planned to lease the ship, but now it will just provide the moorage and promote the excursions and will share the profits with the owners of Roseway.

“It’s turned into a partnership,” said Abby Kidder, World Ocean School president and co-founder.

Built in 1925, the Roseway is a National Historic Landmark and primary educational platform for the school, said Mrs. Kidder. The schooner was originally commissioned as a private fishing vessel, but has served over the years as a yacht, a pilot boat, a Coast Guard Reserve patrol vessel during World War II, and a windjammer. The school, a non-profit, internationally focused nonsectarian organization, has spent the last few years restoring the ship after it was received as a donation from the First National Bank of Damariscotta, Maine, in 2002.

The Roseway will leave Maine May 21, with three weeks allowed for the 2,000-mile passage through the St. Lawrence Seaway and Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron, with stops in ports like Erie, Pennsylvania, and Detroit. A crew of 11, led by Captain Simon Colley of Australia, will make the trip and make St. Ignace their summer home. There will be another 10 to 15 passengers on the trip, said Mrs. Kidder, including guests, colleagues, and media.

“We can’t wait to get there,” she said. “David Swope and his group have been fantastic to work with.”

From an early June beginning, it is tentatively planned that the Roseway will take passengers on three or four two-hour cruises a day, seven days a week, weather permitting, through at least September 15. Mrs. Kidder said sunset cruises could be added and the season-ending date extended into October if there is demand and the venture is successful. The cruise routes are also undetermined, but traveling under the Mackinac Bridge and around Mackinac Island are strong possibilities.

She added that the ship is licensed to carry 80 passengers and tickets for the cruises will be $30 for adults and $15 for children under 12. “We’re also looking at other discounts,” she said.

There will also be time for visitors to tour the ship in groups while it is docked, either in the early mornings, possibly the evenings, or on days when weather conditions make sailing prohibitive.

The cruises and tours will have educational components, with maritime history and sail training principals being presented and hands-on experiences offered.

“Anyone who wants to help raise the sail and assist in running the boat will be able to do so,” said Mrs. Kidder. “It’s a huge vessel and it takes a lot of people to sail it. We’re also going to collaborate with the nature conservancy and other groups down there so we can collect information to present to people concerning the Great Lakes and the area where they will be sailing.”

Mr. Swope said the project originally was to be run through the Chamber of Commerce, but with formation of the private corporation, the only municipal aspects of the operation will be the lease and some advertising support through the Visitors Bureau.

The corporation includes Jack Swope, retired businessman and David Swope’s father; Tim Harrington, owner of Best Western - Harbor Point; Mark Sposito, owner of Mackinac Grille restaurant; Mike Doud, owner of Quality Inn Lakefront; David (son) and Robert (father) Goldthorpe, owners of Quality Inn St. Ignace and Big Boy restaurant; Howard Cole, owner of Days Inn St. Ignace. It will be responsible for advertising, signage, and housing the crew.

“These guys are giving to the community,” said Mr. Swope. “Most of any revenue we generate will stay in our fund. Our intent is to keep this corporation going, and to do more things for this town in the future.

“This probably would not have been a reality without Bob Schafer’s idea,” he added, referring to the owner of Mackinac Tall Ship Company, who has been working on plans to build and sail tall ships and a museum. “He provided a spark.”

Mr. Swope was a supporter of Mr. Schafer’s original plans, but said in February that things weren’t moving as fast as he’d hoped to get a ship here this summer, so he formed the group to get it done.

Mr. Schafer had been interested in obtaining the ship last winter himself, but later called some aspects of it “unsafe.” Mr. Swope and the school has made assurances then and continue to say there are no problems with any aspect of the operation.

“Ever since we began to rebuild the ship, we’ve worked arm-in-arm with the Coast Guard,” said Mrs. Kidder. “We’ve jumped through all of their hoops. It’s in our best interest to be safe and we couldn’t conduct business unless we passed inspection. The ship is well-equipped to do this.”