Replica Sailing Ship to Visit Seabee Base

This isn’t your parents’ pleasure cruise.

But for the adventurous who want to get a feel for the sea, a week aboard the replica ship Endeavour might be just the thing.

Currently on a worldwide tour, the Endeavour will begin its Pacific Coast tour next spring and has accepted the Ventura County Maritime Museum’s invitation to stop at Port Hueneme May 1 for a nine-day exhibition. The ship will be berthed at the Seabee base, and trained volunteers will take visitors on a guided tour.

But first, the Endeavour is looking for a few good temporary crew members to help get the ship from port to port.

“People can sign up, sleep in a hammock, climb the ropes, unfurl the sails and do everything the crew does,” said David Leach, the maritime museum’s operations manager. “And you have your choice of sailing dates.”

The ship sails with a permanent crew of 18 and the temporary crew. Most voyages are five or six days.

Endeavour is a full-size replica of the ship Capt. James Cook sailed from England into the Pacific, then around the world on a voyage of exploration. The ship is 135 feet long, 30 feet wide and its tallest mast rises 127 feet from the deck. The ship started its current worldwide tour in Australia three years ago.

For application information, to volunteer as a tour guide or to provide housing for the ship’s crew while in port call 984-6260.