Sailing Saint Barbara
The Story
Steve Mulkerrins has dreamt of building his own Galway hooker for as long as he can remember. He has always been a builder, from boat building to the successful condo development business that he built from the ground up in Chicago. When Steve became successful enough to bear the enormous financial cost of building an Irish boat out of imported Irish wood, he dove in head first. In an unheated and unairconditioned warehouse, Steve and a small crew of men spent three years building the St. Barbara. Breathtaking footage shows the boat as she begins to emerge from heaps of lumber. We see Steve, driven by obsession, as he spends night and day building the St. Barbara. Other tenants of the warehouse frequently drop by to investigate all the activity. No one is unmoved by what they see upon entering.
At the official christening of the boat, Mayor Daley and the General Counsel of Ireland look on as Steve, wearing a t-shirt chats casually with friends. The boat looks even more magnificent in the waters of Lake Michigan, which are calm and smooth in sharp contrast to what lies ahead for the St. Barbara.
In early May, 2006, Steve Mulkerrins will embark on his lifelong dream to sail his own Galway hooker across the Atlantic. The journey will carry the crew past landmarks in Irish history that will tug at their emotions. They will reverse the route of millions of Irish emigrants who fled their native country in search of a better life. The emotional challenges will be coupled with physical challenges. As stated before, Galway hookers are not intended for crossing oceans, and the men are taking serious risks with their journey. They will battle weather, icebergs and the harsh elements of the sea, the danger peaking as they fight gale force winds, and likely hurricane force storms in the final leg of their journey. The St. Barbara, which looked so majestic in the harbors of Lake Michigan, will undoubtedly look more like a toy boat as she is pushed about by the merciless North Atlantic.
This perilous trip will not go unnoticed. Mulkerrrins has become something of a folk hero in Galway. The crew will be greeted by a frenzy of Irish media. Thousands of people will come out to greet the crew - many on boats of their own. As the St. Barbara comes to port they will pass other boats, and a very large celebration will ensue. Perhaps the finest moment for Steve, will be sailing into view of his mother, who will be faithfully waiting on the pier for her son to return home, joined there by Steve's wife and children.
April 4, 2006
Naomh Barbara (St. Barbara) is a Galway Hooker class boat built in Chicago, solely by Steve Mulkerrins from Lettermore, Co. Galway who now makes Chicago his home.
Truly a labor of love, Steve began planning his project many years ago, while the actual construction began in 2001. Three long years, many long nights and quite an expense later, the project of a lifetime was for almost complete.Only two things remained.
One was taken
care of by Hon. Mayor Richard J. Daley when he performed his first and only
boat Christening at Montrose Harbor on June 4th of 2004. Although obviously
a very busy man, Mayor Daley has followed the progress of St. Barbara and
we trust he will also follow our journey across the Atlantic to Galway, via
this site.
The second was to 'take her home'.
Some of
St. Barbaras Specs.
Length - 47ft. Boom - 34ft.
Mast - 49ft. Gaff - 26ft.
Height - 12.4ft Draft - 8.5ft.
Displacement - 26tons