Matthew Turner to launch this coming Saturday.

After more than three years of labor by several paid shipwrights and roughly 600 volunteers have gone into the construction of the 100-ft LOD brigantine Matthew Turner — which was 100% funded by private donations.

Earlier this week, work crews performed a key step in preparation for the ship's upcoming launch. It was a simple, inevitable gesture, a tiny milestone marking a huge step: The scaffolding came down, clearing the way for the Turner's slow roll to the water's edge — no doubt at a painfully slow pace.

The massive wooden ship is scheduled to be launched Saturday afternoon, April 1 at Sausalito's Army Corps bulkhead. The Post-Launch Celebration is totally sold out, but there will be free public viewing of the launch from Marinship Park and the Bay Model parking lot. The ceremony will start at 4 p.m. and the launch will be at 5.

The Matthew Turner will be the official tall ship of San Francisco bay, joining a group of Schooners that have plied the waters for decades. It is not often to have a tall ship launched, which was build from locally sourced materials and build with mostly volunteered workers. Wooden boats of this size are not expensive in general terms, but they are rarely built these days. A 200 foot mega yacht can be tens of millions, the Turner was build for less than the cost of a full set of sails on a mega sailing yacht.

The Matthew Turner will sail the bay and travel up and down the west coast visiting ports as she goes. There are a few wooden schooners that live on the west coast and they sail to events and races. Expect the Matthew Turner to do the same, but watch for her on the bay if you are in town.