Marco Polo Project
Organizers want Marco Polo to come to life in public view

MARY-ELLEN SAUNDERS
Telegraph-Journal
July 27/06

    People walking the waterfront next summer, may be watching Saint John's famous shipping history rebuilt before them.
   Volunteers building the scaled-down replica of the famous sailing clipper, the Marco Polo, want to move the boat to the waterfront and work on it, while people watch.
   Barry Ogden has spearheaded the project, investing $50,000 of his own money and countless hours over the last 21 years to bring the Marco Polo back to life. He said moving the boat will show people from the Greater Saint John area that progress can be made when the community works together.
   He is working with Uptown Saint John to find a place for the ship, that fits with their plan for the area.
   "People in Saint John are starving for progress, they want to see the community move ahead, and actions speak louder than words," he said. "People want to see something they can touch, not just reports and talks, and that's where we are with the Marco Polo."
   The final ribs that took two years to hand-make, have been fitted together. This means the ships frame is completed and is ready for planking and then on to the intricate details.
   Ogden said the Marco Polo is the perfect project for the city because it is a story of success that showcases Saint John's rich history. He hopes the replica will be as successful as the original, by bringing tourists and pride to the area.
   "I have looked at every tall ship project for the last 21 years, and the ones that are the most successful have good stories. We have the best story, it is time to do some bragging," said Ogden.
   The Marco Polo II is a 27metre, non-sailing ship that will be 60 per cent smaller than the original. The total cost of the construction is about $300,000. The original Marco Polo was built in Marsh Creek as a cargo ship and was refitted in 1852 as a luxury passenger vessel.
   When it carried passengers, it was renowned as the world's fastest ocean sailing vessel.
   Eight skilled volunteers have been working on the replica since June, it should be completed by the summer of 2008.
   Volunteer Don MacGowan is helping with the construction as part of his family legacy. His great-grandfather, Thomas McGowan helped build the original Marco Polo in the 1800's.
   MacGowan is a lawyer with no carpentry or woodworking skills. He decided to volunteer for the project so he could be involved in something that was important to his family. He said the experience has given him an appreciation for the hard work his great-grandfather did, and the skills and smarts they must have had to build the ship without the luxuries and tools we have today.
   "I feel a very strong connection when working on this replica, it brings me a close feeling with my great grandfather," said MacGowan. His great-grandfather passed away in 1902, though he never met him, he hangs on to the obituary that declares him a ships carpenter and foreman on many ships, including the Marco Polo.
   "It gives me a good feeling in my heart to know that this is being recognized as an important object in the history of Saint John, brought forward so people in the future will recognize the significant contribution of shipbuilding and the shipping trade history in Saint John."

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