American Tall Ship Institute

Without any doubt one of the most beautiful sailing ships in the world today, the Bill of Rights was designed by McCurdy & Rhodes, who modeled her after the traditional American coastal schooner of the late nineteenth century. The Harvey Gamage Shipyard, a famous old-school New England yard established in 1850 and well-respected for having produced such ships as the Shenandoah, Harvey F. Gamage, Clearwater and the Antarctic research vessel Hero, built the Bill of Rights at South Bristol, Maine. She was designed for commercial work carrying both sail-training crews and passengers out of Newport, Rhode Island. The Bill of Rights is 136 feet long overall, has a beam of 24.6 feet and a draft of ten. Her sail area is 6300 square feet and her mainmast stands 115 feet above the deck. The wooden-hulled beauty has a tonnage of 160 gross. She requires two officers and a crew of five and has room for up to 90 passengers on day sails and 30 passengers on overnight voyages. The wonderful rake to her two masts and her lovely hull lines give the Bill of Rights much of her breathtaking style and beauty. Her bowsprit is not raised, but continues with the same soft rise of the forward part of her graceful hull. Two traditional anchors are forward, adding to the feeling of simplicity of design. Low deck structures accentuate the sleekness.

The Schooner Bill of Rights
Without any doubt one of the most beautiful sailing ships in the world today, the Bill of Rights was designed by McCurdy & Rhodes, who modeled her after the traditional American coastal schooner of the late nineteenth century. The Harvey Gamage Shipyard, a famous old-school New England yard established in 1850 and well-respected for having produced such ships as the Shenandoah, Harvey F. Gamage, Clearwater and the Antarctic research vessel Hero, built the Bill of Rights at South Bristol, Maine. She was designed for commercial work carrying both sail-training crews and passengers out of Newport, Rhode Island. The Bill of Rights is 136 feet long overall, has a beam of 24.6 feet and a draft of ten. Her sail area is 6300 square feet and her mainmast stands 115 feet above the deck. The wooden-hulled beauty has a tonnage of 160 gross. She requires two officers and a crew of five and has room for up to 90 passengers on day sails and 30 passengers on overnight voyages. The wonderful rake to her two masts and her lovely hull lines give the Bill of Rights much of her breathtaking style and beauty. Her bowsprit is not raised, but continues with the same soft rise of the forward part of her graceful hull. Two traditional anchors are forward, adding to the feeling of simplicity of design. Low deck structures accentuate the sleekness.