‘THE GHOST SHIP' OF CHRISTMAS PAST: 134-year old schooner docks in Destin for holidays

This Christmas, the docks at HarborWalk Marina are playing host to a maritime spirit of the season — the ghost of vessels past.

“The Governor Stone is a floating museum,” said Captain of Register Dick Gercak. Once numbering in the thousands, the 134-year-old schooner is the last of its kind still sailing the waters of the Gulf Coast.

Now under the care of the nonprofit organization, Friends of the Governor Stone, Inc., the wooden vessel floats along the Panhandle as a reminder of the long history of the area’s labor-intensive traditions.

“It would not have been usual to see a boat like this sailing offshore in Destin in the late 1800s,” said secretary/treasurer Carol Visalpatara. In fact, “vessels similar to this were built on the beaches here by Capt. Billy Marler.”

The Governor Stone sailed into Destin in early December for the annual Holiday on the Harbor Boat Parade where she took home the No.1 spot in the sailboat division. Modestly decorated in a single strand of blue lights, some have even coined it, “The Ghost Ship.”

And with more than 130 years at sea, the vessel has her ghost stories. 

“With my two little ghosts running around, that just tickled me when I heard it,” Gersac said.

Haunted history

The Governor Stone was constructed in Pascagoula, Miss., for Charles Greiner as a cargo freighter for his chandlery business in 1877. The 65-foot schooner was named in honor of Greiner’s best friend, John Marshall Stone, the first post-Civil War governor elected in the state of Mississippi.

In its youth, the Governor Stone carried equipment and supplies to deep-draft ships offshore and hauled freight between ports along the Gulf Coast.

“The vessel was originally called The Lighter,” Gercak told The Log. “There weren’t any ports or channels to come in, so before the big ships could come in, these little guys used to run out, offload and lighten the ships. That’s where the name came from.”

After channels were built, the Governor Stone operated as an oyster buy-boat for more than 15 years. When her captain, Nathan Mulford, wasn’t fishing near shore, he would sail her out to oyster tongers and transport their catch to market. 

A couple of captains later, the Governor Stone ended up in the hands of the audacious Capt. Thomas Burns. Under his command, the vessel hauled contraband rum shipments and sank twice.

On Sept. 26, 1906, a hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast including Heron Bay, Ala., where the Governor Stone and a fleet of schooners were sailing. As the storm approached, the captains released their crews and told them to head to shore while they stayed back with their vessels. The entire fleet sank in the high winds and crashing waves.

 “The only captain that survived was the captain of the Governor Stone,” Gercak said. “He survived by hanging onto a piece of damaged wood.”  

When the Governor Stone washed ashore, two skeletons were found inside, Zeke and Pedro. While that’s probably not their real names, that’s what Gercak calls his ghoulish crew that he says still protects the vessel today.

“Believe it or not, they do haunt me,” he said. “Just the other night, we were out there and all of a sudden I just felt them…”

The ghosts have even been known to lend a hand.

“There was a piling out there with no marking, but we went around it.”

A work in progress

While in Destin, the Friends of the Governor Stone are doing restorations to the aging boat. The keel and most of the interior is still the original wood, but the deck and sails still need replacing.

“It costs $20,000 a year to maintain the vessel, so the organization is always looking for individuals or groups in the community interested in becoming shipmates,” said Visalpatara, adding that one of the perks of being a member is a chance to sail aboard the antique.

For more information about becoming a friend of the Governor Stone, visit www.governorstone.org or call 850-621-0011.

The Governor Stone will be on display at HarborWalk Marina behind Nautical Treasures through January. From noon to 5 p.m. Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, volunteers will be on-site to talk to visitors about the history of the schooner.

“Our main purpose is to display the boat and let people know what it’s all about,” said Gercak. “My favorite part of the history is the people and the captains, and that’s what our program is.”