With 80 years on the water, and countless memories on board for many people, the tall ship Utopia has been a staple in Door County's history."Just the whole experience all together has been something beyond my personal comprehen sion," said Utopia Captain Jack Gage.The vessel is also starting to age."The work is continuous and always needed," Gage said.But updates are coming soon.WATCH MIHIR SINHASAN'S FULL BROADCAST STORY: Patriot Racing Project to receive grant for tall ship UtopiaThe Patriot Racing Project founded by Gage which owns and operates the ship, received a $74,200 grant from Destination Door County's Community Investment Fund as part of its 14th round of grant recipients. The program takes funds from visitors staying overnight on the peninsula."That goes into the preservation and the restoration of the boat," Gage said when asked about how the grant would help Utopia. "Fresh coats of paint, fresh coats of varnish, new sails, new systems, updated electronics so it's a little more updated to modern code. All of these things together make the vessel not only preserved, but in a working condition for the veterans of our area and the general community to engage with the historic Utopia."It is something that Destination Door County CEO Jon Jarosh says will help Sturgeon Bay's tourism."It certainly reflects the maritime heritage that we have, which is so strong," Jarosh said. "To have that ship on the working waterfront in Downtown Sturgeon Bay is a tremendous asset."A sign of Door County keeping its history smooth sailing into the future."It really shows how much this community has fallen in love with this boat, and how much this community has engaged with this boat over the many, many years of its existence and now the many years to come," Gage said. "The story of this vessel is still being told."Gage says that changes on Utopia will start later this fall. ...read more read less