Dear Shipmates,

With the ever-increasing impact of COVID-19 within our country and specifically here in Rhode Island, I wanted to take a moment to share with you the efforts that we have taken to contribute to our community’s response to this disease.

Aboard the SSV OLIVER HAZARD PERRY, we have not only cancelled all of our scheduled programming aboard the ship for the near term, but we are limiting all access including staff. I assure you the ship is still being well cared for with crew aboard, but in the interest of protecting their health as well as limiting the potential to introduce the virus to the ship, we have taken these proactive measures. We have also delayed the onboarding of our crew for the 2020 operational season. While we were initially intending for them to start in early April, we are delaying their sign on dates until the end of next month at the earliest.

At this time, we are still hopeful that we will be able to meet the vast majority of our programming commitments for the upcoming season, and that only our dockside programs scheduled for the remainder of this month and next, as well as our early May underway programming will be impacted. We will continue to assess this situation and will be in communication with our program partners as future developments dictate.

Our office staff are all working remotely from home, and supporting our long-term program development so that when we as a community emerge from this period of social isolation, we can quickly get back to business and once again provide empowering experiences to all those that participate in our programs.

During this period where we find ourselves seeking out a full virtual life while we hunker down at home, I encourage you to visit our website,  Facebook page, and Instagram regularly where we will be uploading new content and sharing the mission and experiences of Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island as best we are able until we are back underway.

In closing, I ask that we all be good shipmates to each other, check in on those that are vulnerable in these trying times, and, most importantly, don’t give up the ship!

Wishing you all safe passage through the storm,

Captain Jonathan Kabak
Chief Executive Officer
Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island