Milwaukee sailing vessel headed to Boston-based educational facility

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A staple of Discovery World, once destined to never sail again, is set to return to year-round sailing.

Known as the 'flagship of Wisconsin,' the sailing vessel Denis Sullivan will join the fleet of World Ocean School, based in Boston, according to a statement from Discovery World, who has long-owned the 95 ft. tall ship. The statement also notes that the plan for S/V Denis Sullivan will allow it to sail "while supporting its financial sustainability."

After making financial cutbacks two years ago, Discovery World announced in Nov. 2020 that the S/V Denis Sullivan was no longer financially sustainable, but noted that they "...hope to be able to set sail again someday in the future."

World Ocean School is a non-profit educational sailing organization that aims to make return visits from S/V Denis Sullivan's new Boston home to its longtime Milwaukee home. They plan for these journeys to offer educational programming for Milwaukee students at the school's Boston and U.S. Virgin islands locations.

Eden Leonard, President and Executive Director of World Ocean School noted in the release that they "...are honored to welcome the Denis Sullivan to [their] fleet, and to become stewards of its history and commitment to exceptional experiential education."

Bryan Wunar, CEO of Discovery World, said in the press release that he is primarily excited to find a home for S/V Denis Sullivan to continue its educational legacy, fulfilling the original mission of the ship when it was built in 2000.

More information about the World Ocean School can be found on their website.