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After 4 Months Of Repairs, Lady Maryland Returns To The Water

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—If you were in Fells Point Tuesday morning, you had a chance to see a little bit of history. The Lady Maryland, the flagship of Living Classrooms, returned to the water.

Ron Matz was there as the famous schooner made waves once again.

The Lady Maryland, all 82 tons of her, was glided slowly into the water. The Living Classrooms flagship is back after four months of repairs.

"This is really exciting. The boat's been hauled out since mid-November. We put a lot of time, effort and energy into doing this major overhaul this winter, the first one in 27 years," said Lisa Jones, director of shipboard education."So it was pins and needles this morning waiting to see if the lift was going to run, if the weather was going to cooperate, but things went pretty well. It means we're going to be sailing with kids on April 10 and I couldn't be more excited."

The crew worked hard to get the ship ready for its return.

"We're super excited, and we'll be even happier when she's tied up here at the dock," Jones said.

People watched from office buildings, rooftops and the pier to get a good look at the famous schooner.

"We made sure we got up early so we could watch it. We have to keep these sailboats. They're beautiful," said Pat Recker, of Reading, Pa.

Living Classrooms students have been working on the Lady, too.

"We did some scraping, painting and drilling holes. It's a good feeling to see it done. I thought it would take longer, but it's good to see it done," said Eric Holmes, Living Classrooms student.

Another $80,000 is still needed for repairs.

"We had a great benefit dinner here last night with our partners The Waterfront Kitchen. We raised in the neighborhood of $30,000 for the project. We're still in need of close to $80,000 to pay for repairs. So we're still looking to raise funds. We have a couple of more activities planned for this spring," Jones said.

The Lady Maryland will now undergo some tests. Her official re-launch is scheduled for next month.

"It's just beautiful. It's a thing from the past and it's nice to see them get restored. It does a lot for the state and, of course, for Baltimore," said Johnny Recker, of Reading, Pa.

In more than 25 years of service, the Lady Maryland has provided hands-on educational training for more than a quarter of a million students. For information on how you can make a donation, click here.

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