A group of fifth graders from the Growing Up Green Charter School in Long Island City arrived at Pier 16 at the South Street Seaport ready for an adventure.

They were embarking on an educational sail aboard the Pioneer, a two-masted iron schooner built in 1885 in Pennsylvania, designed to carry sand mined near the mouth of the Delaware Bay. It's part of a fleet of five historic ships at the South Street Seaport Museum.

What You Need To Know

  • The Pioneer is an iron schooner built in 1885
  • It is one of the five historic ships in the fleet at the South Street Seaport Museum
  • The Pioneer will begin public sails on New York Harbor on May 25

"It's great to be out with a group of students on a beautiful spring day with a breeze, with a beautiful historic boat. Yep, it doesn't get any better than this," said Jonathan Boulware, president and CEO of the museum and a longtime mariner.

The Pioneer is back out in the harbor for the first time since before the pandemic and after a restoration project. Work was competed on the sailing ship's hull and rigging, plus a new engine was added. A crew of professionals and volunteers, assisted by the students, were on board to get the sails in place. Matheus Santos was sailing for the first time.

"You have to have a lot of people on it for you to be able to pull the ropes for that to go up and the main one to go up," said Santos. 

At the helm of the Pioneer was Malcolm Martin, the captain of the museum's fleet. He has been working in the harbor for 25 years.

"I really love being out here and seeing all the different subtle aspects of the water and the weather and what not," said Martin. "We are lucky to have this place to operate in really." 

Starting May 25, the Pioneer will sail five days a week for public voyages, plus charters. It's always a floating classroom and a perfect opportunity for everyone to learn the history of the harbor and New York as a port city.

"They are learning about exploration and colonization, and in general we always learn that New York is a watery place, and we try and get them on the water to get that perspective as much as possible and there is nothing better than sailing around New York Harbor," said Lisa Marooney, an experienced-based learning coordinator at Growing Up Green Charter School.

To plan your sail on the Pioneer, head here.