Tour the Gulf, 1870s style

The Official Tall Ship of Texas, the Elissa, has recently been given a makeover. Well, more like a facelift. The Elissa is an impressive 205 feet long and nearly 100 feet tall at her mast. Recently, Elissa's sails have been repaired and she's now in seafaring condition.

The Elissa now makes weekly day sails on the Gulf of Mexico. Her owners can't afford to take her out more often or on longer trips, because they work with a volunteer crew. The next project for the Elissa is a whole new suit of sails (the recent improvements only patched the old ones), which costs a pretty $100,000. To help out, you can donate to the Keep Elissa Sailing fund.

Houston Public Radio's Jim Bell recently went on one of these day sails and had the chance to talk to Jim Brink, who makes all of Elissa's sails. He's probably the most famous sailmaker in the world, having his work showcased in the Pirates of Caribbean movies. He makes most of his sails for ships owned by museums and the naval academy though. Ironically, Brink is from the Midwest and describes himself as "not a coastal guy at all."

Photo from Flickr user j-a-x.