For Tiffany Krihwan, the waters of Presque Isle Bay are more than a harbor — they’re home.
Krihwan, an Erie native, spent her childhood sailing on Lake Erie. In fact, her earliest memories involve being out on the lake as “a little kid in a diaper.”
Now based in Massachusetts, Krihwan has returned as captain of the Ernestina-Morrissey, a historic schooner and sailing school vessel from New Bedford, Massachusetts, and one of the nine tall ships taking part in Tall Ships Erie 2025.
“I feel such pride coming here,” she told the Erie Times-News. “This was a great place to grow up. And for a smaller town, the amount of people who are supportive and excited about the ships, there’s something to be said about that.”
From Erie Yacht Club to the open seas
Krihwan, 52, first learned to sail at the Erie Yacht Club, following in the footsteps of her older siblings and spending time aboard her grandfather’s boat. She went on to become a sailing instructor at the same club and began sailing tall ships in 1997 when she was appointed chief mate of the Appledore IV.
For Krihwan, tall ships offered a challenge unlike any she had faced on smaller sailboats.
“With modern boats, it's not that hard to get them to go fast,” she said. “Whereas sailing a tall ship, it really develops your sailing skills beyond what I already had. That really intrigued me.”
A ship with stories of its own
Her fascination with tall ships only deepened once she took command of one with its own extraordinary history.
Built in 1894 at the James and Tarr Shipyard for the Gloucester fishing fleet, the Ernestina-Morrissey boasts a colorful history, from sailing to within 600 miles of the North Pole to ferrying immigrants to the U.S.
It’s now part of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s permanent fleet, serving as an educational platform for sail and leadership training for cadets, K-12 STEM programs and community engagement.
“I like to call her the people’s ship,” Krihwan said. “Everywhere I go, somebody has a family member who has ties to this vessel and its history.”
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Breaking barriers on tall ship deck
Krihwan said she returns to Erie a couple times every year.
Her career has taken her to some of the most recognized vessels in the country, including the Pride of Baltimore II, the Boston-based schooner Roseway, the Los Angeles brigantine Exy Johnson and the tall ship Unicorn.
She was named Tall Ships America’s 2019 Sail Trainer of the Year and is among roughly 10% of tall ship captains who are women.
“It’s definitely a unique career ― my friends and family seem impressed,” she said, laughing. “I’m not a big person ― I’m 5’3 ― and they think you have to be a big person to be a captain and that’s not the case.”
Krihwan said she hopes young people in Erie see that her path is just one example of the opportunities that exist if you think outside the box.
“I hope they see that there’s a lot of career opportunities if you look beyond the usual options,” she said. “I’ve had a very successful, adventurous career that’s perfect for me. It doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone, but it shows that there are paths you might not even consider at first.”
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A.J. Rao can be reached at [email protected] or 814-440-5080.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Ernestina-Morrissey captain sails from New Bedford to Tall Ships Erie
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