South Street Seaport Museum to Host Fiestas Patrias, a Chilean Independence Day Celebration on the Tall Ship Wavertree

South Street Seaport Museum, in partnership with the Consul General of Chile in New York,announces the second annual Fiestas Patrias celebration in honor of Chilean Independence Day aboard the 1885 tall ship Wavertree at Pier 16, on Sunday, September 17, 2023. Festivities will kick off with an opening ceremony and flag raising at noon with Mario Ignacio Artaza, the Consul General of Chile to New York. Following the opening ceremony, the celebration will continue with lively traditional Chilean dancing and music as well as finger foods on Wavertree. Traditional Chilean food will be available for purchase on Pier 16 as part of the program. Advance registration is encouraged but walk ups are welcome any time between noon and 2pm. seaportmuseum.org/fiestas-patrias

About the Newly Acquired Chilean Flag and Donation Ceremony

On Sunday, September 10, at 1pm, the South Street Seaport Museum, in partnership with the Consul General of Chile in New York will host a private sail and flag donation ceremony on the Seaport Museum's 1885 schooner Pioneer. The donation of this Chilean flag commemorates the 200th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States of America and the Republic of Chile. The flag to be donated has flown over the waters of the Strait of Magellan in Chilean territory, which were the same waters sailed by the tall ship Wavertree during its time in commercial service. On this sail, the same flag will be raised on Pioneer to fly over the waters of New York Harbor, which Wavertree called on in 1895, and now calls home. This flag will be donated to the South Street Seaport Museum's working collection as a unique artifact that has flown in Southern Chile, "where the world ends" and in New York Harbor, "Where New York Begins." In attendance will be Mario Ignacio Artaza, the Consul General of Chile to New York; Santiago Villalba, Consul General of Argentina in New York; Jorge Islas López, Consul General of Mexico in New York; Jose Sandoval, Consul General of Ecuador in New York; and additional esteemed dignitaries.

About the 1885 Tall Ship Wavertree

Chile and the 1885 Tall Ship Wavertree

In 1910, after a 24-years sailing career, Wavertree was caught in a Cape Horn storm that tore down her masts and ended her career as a cargo ship. Rather than re-rigging her, her owners sold her for use as a floating warehouse in Punta Areas, Chile. She was salvaged and used as a floating warehouse and then a sand barge in South America, where waterfront workers referred to her as "el gran Valero," the great sailing ship, because even without her masts she was a great windjammer.

1885 Tall Ship Wavertree

Wavertree was built at Southampton, England in 1885 by the Oswald, Mordaunt and Company in the shipyard of Woolston, Southampton. At two years old, she entered the tramp trades, taking different cargoes anywhere in the world and ultimately circumnavigated the globe at least three times during her 24-year sailing career. Today, Wavertree is visited by guests of all ages from around the globe and serves as the iconic centerpiece of the "Street of Ships" at the Seaport Museum. She symbolizes the profound influence of tall ships, their intrepid sailors, and the bustling waterfront in shaping New York City into a modern metropolis.

About Chile and the South Street Seaport Historic District

In addition to the connection with Wavertree, La Voz de América newspaper was founded in the seaport in 1865. Chilean freight and warships, such as the light cruiser "O'Higgins," were built in the area, and steamships of the Grace Line linked New York with several ports of the Pacific in Latin America, crossing the Panama Canal. Today, more than 85% of Chile's trade with the world is done by maritime means, and Chile is the holder of the most Free Trade Agreements in the world, bolstered by its maritime shipping routes. It is the world's fourth most important user of the Panama Canal, after China, the United States, and Japan.

About the South Street Seaport Museum

The South Street Seaport Museum, located in the heart of the historic seaport district in New York City, preserves and interprets the history of New York as a great port city. Founded in 1967, the Museum houses an extensive collection of works of art and artifacts, a maritime reference library, exhibition galleries and education spaces, working 19th century print shops, and an active fleet of historic vessels that all work to tell the story of "Where New York Begins." seaportmuseum.org

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