The Shallop Project

In August 2026 the Mayflower II’s Fuller Shallop, accompanied by the support vessel WILLIAM UNDERWOOD, sailed from Westport Point through Buzzards Bay and the Elizabeth Islands toward Nantucket. The Blockade Runners voyage honored the legacy of Paul Cuffe; at each harbor a small flotilla of local boats came out to meet the shallop, and the communities ashore welcomed it with screenings, talks, music and tours.

Paul Cuffe (1759–1817) was born on Cuttyhunk Island, the son of Kofi Slocum, a formerly enslaved Ashanti man, and Ruth Moses, a Wampanoag woman. From Westport he became a mariner, shipbuilder and merchant. During the Revolutionary War he carried supplies to Nantucket through the British blockade, and in 1780 he and his brother John petitioned against being taxed without the right to vote. The Blockade Runners voyage, part of the Revolution 250 commemorations, returned to those waters in his honor.

In Cuffe's Wake: A Blockade Runners Documentary follows the voyage and the communities that welcomed it. The film is in production.

A premiere presentation with the New Bedford Whaling Museum is proposed and in early discussion — not yet confirmed.

Photographs from every port are published here as galleries anyone can browse, without an account.

For general, press, or partnership inquiries, see the contact page or email info@shallopproject.org.