The Virginia, a reconstruction of a ship built at Popham Colony in 1607, will make its first voyage south of the Kennebec River on Monday for maintenance work and a Coast Guard inspection at Portland Yacht Services.

It’s the latest journey for a ship that’s on course to get full Coast Guard passenger vessel certification this fall – more than a quarter century after the nonprofit Maine’s First Ship was founded in 1997 to build the Virginia for educational purposes.

Launched in 2022 but not fully outfitted, the Virginia has so far headed north on its few voyages – to its winter home in Wiscasset, on the Sheepscot River, to Boothbay Harbor’s Windjammer Days and to the Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site.

On Monday, helmed by volunteers, the ship will leave its home dock in Bath and head down the Kennebec, passing the site of Popham Colony and turning south into Casco Bay, toward Portland Harbor and the boatyard on the Fore River.

“She has left the Kennebec a handful of times,” said Kirstie Truluck, executive director of Maine’s First Ship. “She’s never headed south. She’s never been to Portland.”

The Virginia will leave Bath around 9 a.m., arrive in Portland six to seven hours later, and be at the boatyard for about a week. Truluck said she will post information about the ship’s stay in Portland and departure on Maine’s First Ship accounts on Facebook and Instagram.

Late last season, the Virginia earned what’s known as “six pack” status, allowing it to sail for a few public excursions with up to six passengers, plus crew members, Truluck said. With full passenger vessel certification, the ship will be able to carry as many as 35 passengers, ideal for a classroom of students and their teacher.

“The Coast Guard will determine an exact number,” she said.

Constructed by 100 or so men and boys that made up Popham Colony, the original Virginia was the first ocean-going English ship built in the Americas, according to the nonprofit’s website. The new Virginia is considered a reconstruction, rather than a replica, because it is based on extensive research rather than actual plans or images, Truluck said.

Popham Colony was founded by the Plymouth Company in August 1607 to exploit local resources and was abandoned in October 1608. The colonists returned to England aboard the Virginia and the following year it carried colonists to the Jamestown settlement, the website states.

For Monday’s trip, the new Virginia will rely on the “iron wind” of its 175 horsepower Volvo diesel engine rather than its sails, although the distinctive black-and-white chevron design along the bulwark should make the vessel easily recognizable, Truluck said.

At Portland Yacht Services, the Virginia will be hauled out of the water so volunteers can clean and paint the hull and do minor repairs, and Coast Guard officials will conduct its first hull inspection, she said.

Last year, Maine’s First Ship received a $7,500 Preserving America grant to outfit the Virginia for passengers, including life vests, life rafts and other emergency equipment. Work continues under the guidance of shipwright Rob Stevens and Capt. John Foss, with final construction details still required to earn full passenger vessel certification this fall.

“It’s an ongoing process,” Truluck said, noting that further Coast Guard inspections will be necessary to win certification, including an incline test to gauge the ship’s stability and a “vessel underway” assessment when it’s sailing.

The work done in Portland will prepare the Virginia for its first full season of sailing with passengers, starting with a visit to Windjammer Days in Boothbay Harbor June 23-29.

Maine’s First Ship plans to add a reservation system to its website soon, Truluck said, offering deck tours and sails three days a week for up to six passengers at a time. For other events and donor information, visit mfship.org.

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