Launching of the Pacific Grace
The 'Pacific Grace' will be Canada's largest tall ship, at 110' long. Built entirely by volunteers with charitable funds, this sail ship is a work of true craftsmanship.
The supporting steel carriage was assembled by Nickel Bros. House Moving beneath the wood hull on September 27, 1999. Over the following two weeks, additional steel polks were added for stability, and the finishing touches to the hull. An entire wall was removed from the West end of the construction shop to allow the removal of the ship.
On October 7, the boat was raised up on hydraulic jacks, weighing 82 ton, and placed on hydraulically controlled truck and moving dollies. The massive hull was slowly moved out of the construction shop with only inches of room above and on both sides. The exit from the building was successful, and final preparations were made for the road move to take place the following morning.
At 10:00 a.m., Friday, October 8, the 'Pacific Grace' was moved down Harbour Road, backing it down the entire way into Point Hope Shipyards launching area. With the cooperation of BC Tel, BC Hydro and the City of Victoria, the move went smoothly. The boat was placed parallel to the launching carriage, and prepared for the roll onto the carriage. The dollies were reset 90 degrees, and the hull was carefully maneuvered onto the carriage. All wheels were removed, and the hull was positioned and blocked with its flotation line parallel to the water. At 10:00 that evening, Canada's largest tall ship was ready for launching.
The ceremonies were conducted Saturday afternoon, and, with approximately 6,000 people anxiously watching, the 'Pacific Grace' was successfully launched into Victoria's Inner Harbour at 2:30 p.m.
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