May 29, 2008
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Jamestown Settlement’s Godspeed, a replica of one of the three ships that transported America’s first permanent English colonists to Virginia in 1607, will participate in the 32nd annual Norfolk Harborfest maritime festival June 6-8 and afterward sail to Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore.
The Godspeed will be docked at Waterside Marina during Harborfest and on Friday, June 6, will participate in a parade of sail from 5 to 7 p.m. featuring historical, military, character and work vessels. The Godspeed will be open for free public tours noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8.
The Godspeed will welcome visitors from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, at the Cape Charles Town Harbor. During the Norfolk and Cape Charles visits, visitors will be able to explore the ship and talk with historical interpreters about the 1607 voyage and 17th-century sailing, navigation and shipboard life.
The Godspeed will depart from Jamestown Settlement, a state-operated museum that tells the story of 17th-century Virginia through gallery exhibits and living history, on June 5 and will return by June 17. Visitors to Jamestown Settlement will have the opportunity to board the Susan Constant and Discovery, re-creations of the other two 1607 ships, and the Elizabeth, representing a ship that made several voyages to Virginia between 1613 and 1625.
Jamestown Settlement’s Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery have been designated “the official fleet of the Commonwealth” by the Virginia General Assembly and had an important role in last year’s commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. For more information, call (888) 593-4682 toll-free or (757) 253-4838 or visit www.historyisfun.org.
