HOUGHTON - A faithful recreation of a 19th-century schooner will be sailing the waters of the Keweenaw this weekend.

The S/V Denis Sullivan is coming for daysails on Saturday and Sunday and a Lake Superior expedition on Monday and Tuesday.

This marks the third visit to the area for the S/V Denis Sullivan, which was completed in 2000. The ship, Wisconsin's flagship and a flagship for the United Nations Environment Program, is the world's only re-creation of a 19th century three-masted Great Lakes schooner.

The 137-foot ship has also been outfitted with two diesel engines, a scientific lab, two computer workstations and modern communication and navigation equipment.

The two-day expedition on Lake Superior will start and end in Houghton, hitting Keweenaw Bay, Huron Bay and Bete Grise in between. Evan McDonald, director of the Keweenaw Land Trust, said there will be "quite a bit of educational program."

"People will be learning the ropes, the sails, how the rigging works, how the vessel is navigated and so forth," he said.

They will also be presenting information about the relationship between land and water conservation, using KLT projects such as the Bete Grise Preserve to illustrate their point.

There will be an on-board program to demonstrate water sampling techniques to measure water quality and lake sediments, among other things, McDonald said.

McDonald said they also hope to have a historian on board talking about the maritime history of the Keweenaw.

In addition to the 10-person crew, the ship can hold about 15 passengers for the two-day voyage and 50 for the daysails.

In contrast to the Lake Superior program, McDonald said the daysails "are more about fun and the experience of being on a tall ship."

There would also be some instruction from the Denis Sullivan crew about the history of Great Lakes commerce, McDonald said.

"Hopefully the wind will cooperate so everyone will get to see the experience of the vessel being under sail," he said.

McDonald urged people to come out and ride the ship.

"Given that this is Wisconsin's flagship, it's hard to know how many more times we'll get them up to Superior," he said. "This is a rare opportunity to be up aboard this particular flagship ... I hope lots of people can participate and enjoy this experience."

Daysail costs will be $50 for adults and $35 for children 12 and under. To find out more or reserve tickets for the Portage Lake Daysails, call the Keweenaw Land Trust at 482-0820 or email info@keweenawlandtrust.org.

The cost of the Lake Superior Expedition is $400 per person, plus $125 for Michigan Technological University tuition/registration if participating for credit. To register, contact Jeff Phillips at (414) 765-8641.

Garrett Neese can be reached at gneese @mininggazette.com.