Luna | York County Tourism, VA
Luna: The Little Tall Ship that Is
Anyone who has read the childhood story The Little Engine that Could knows the tale of perseverance, faith in the face of possible failure, and hope that something better lies over the mountaintop. That is the story of the tall ship Luna. What began as a wild dream between friends, a father, and a son has turned into a beloved ship that finds herself honoring Virginia’s maritime history and at the forefront of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations. Recently, she transported an interpreter portraying the Marquis de Lafayette during the 200th anniversary celebration of his return to the shores of Yorktown. Next week, she will play a major role in the 250th Anniversary of the Yorktown Tea Party. The future is incredibly promising for the “Little Tall Ship that Is” as her captain, John Collamore, IV, likes to call her. ⬇️
“This was something that we never even imagined. It’s very humbling for our little boat to be center stage for national events,” Collamore says. “It’s our Virginia history, and we are just honored and proud to be a part of it.”
Luna’s story began in the 1970s on the beautiful banks of Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she was built as a two masted ketch. From there, what would become a replica of a Bermuda sloop traveled to New York City where she served as the backdrop for a production of Pirates of Penzance. Her later years found her in desperate need of repair in Florida. That is when the Collamores and the Colonial Seaport Foundation stepped in. The group was looking for a specific ship that represented an overlooked time period in America and this little vessel had the shape they wanted.
“There are no ships in Virginia that represents that transition of 300 years of maritime history,” Collamore explains. “That’s where we go from square riggers to fore and aft rig, which is exactly what these coastal trading sloops did.” ⬇️
Members of the Colonial Seaport Foundation learned of the vessel through family friends and immediately put a plan in place to purchase and restore her by placing the elder Collamore in charge of the operation.
“The deal was we could buy the boat for one dollar, but we had to keep the name Luna,” Captain Collamore explains. The owner’s wife’s maiden name was Moon, so the vessel was named after her. When the new owners considered the impact of lunar movements on tides, currents, and the flow of the oceans, it seemed quite fitting. The name remained, and Luna found a new home in Deltaville, Virginia. From there, a mismatched team of volunteers who had no or varying levels of seafaring expertise joined together on this passion project to return her to her former glory in the new form of a sloop.
“We lost track at 40,000 man hours,” shrugs Collamore as he reflects on the work that began in 2007. The vessel is over ninety-eight percent new construction. The volunteers disassembled the boat and used those parts as templates to build new parts and reconstruct her.
In 2007, the group also formally organized as the Colonial Seaport Foundation, which is now led by Collamore. Although he grew up sailing, he never expected to oversee the creation of an 18th-century sloop. Therefore, he became a paramedic and police officer who currently serves with the Virginia Marine Police. However, his father is a legend in the maritime industry and played a major role in the ship’s restoration.
“He is the official and honorary shipwright of Luna,” his son says with a proud smile. “And there will never be another.”
In his early professional years, the elder Collamore recognized the future of fiberglass in ship making and assisted in creating a process that found him starting his own company, building more than one hundred commercial workboats and a line of aquaculture products. That said, his son is quick to also credit the hard work and dedication of the many volunteers that maintain the vessel, lead educational workshops, make appearances at community fundraisers, and serve as environmental and ecology stewards of the Chesapeake Bay and Rappahannock River waterways. ⬇️
“This project survives because of its volunteers, its crew, and its supporters,” Collamore says. With that, he fondly describes individuals living across the East Coast – from Maine to Florida – who want to dedicate their time and talents to a little ship that represents a pivotal time in Colonial America’s maritime history. Collamore smiles when he describes the volunteers who have braved the unknown having never sailed before and those who have set aside their pride as accomplished boat racers and learned the ropes – literally – of an 18th century sloop.
Since its christening in 2022, the Luna has made quite the name for herself. While docked alongside vessels four times her size, some bystanders initially smirk at her smaller stature but quickly grow to love her and her passionate captain and crew. Whether it’s sharing a container of kettle corn and bawdy sea tales or comparing technology and seafaring tips, Luna and her crew have endeared themselves among the Chesapeake Bay sailing community. But, are we really surprised by this?
Just as the Little Engine chugged along to bigger horizons, the little Luna is doing the same along the Chesapeake waterways – and our nation is all the better for it.
If you would like to volunteer or learn more about the Colonial Seaport Foundation, please be sure to visit their website. To learn about the Yorktown Tea Party and other VA250 events, be sure to visit our website.