All welcome aboard the tall ship Roseway

The tall ship Roseway, now docked at the Mitchell Park Marina in Greenport, will be open for free public tours all day Thursday.

The ship, which sails  with a contingent of students from throughout the country and the U.S. Virgin Islands, arrived in Greenport Harbor Wednesday night. The student-sailors students spent Thursday morning at the East End Seaport Museum and Marine Foundation and helping clean a Fresnel lens from the Plum Island Lighthouse. Their next task was to distribute posters to local businesses advertising the September Maritime Festival.

The students accepted into the 16-day educational program, qualified by writing essays about why they wanted to serve aboard the Roseway. Many have full or partial scholarships to defray the $3,300 tuition cost.

Built in Essex, Mass. in 1925, the Roseway has offered educational programs since 2002. It’s based in Boston during spring, summer and early fall months and  sails down to St. Croix for the winter.

The boat leaves Greenport for Mystic, Ct., Friday morning, then on to Block Island, the New London Coast Guard Academy, New Bedford and Martha’s Vineyard, before returning to Boston.

A full story on the ship’s Greenport visit will appear in the Aug. 4 Suffolk Times.