The 125-ft., twin-masted Liberty Clipper Schooner with 26 passengers is shown under full sail outside the break wall of Oswego during one of its day sailing excursions on Sept. 5. The ship was in Oswego from Sept. 4-7 offering three sailing excursions each day.
OSWEGO, NY – On Wednesday, Sept. 4, with the sun glistening off its shiny fittings and a stiff breeze from the south, the 125-ft. Liberty Clipper Schooner and its 26 passengers gently pulled away from the Port of Oswego’s West Pier and set sail for a 1.5-hour excursion on Lake Ontario.
“Visits from the Liberty Clipper and other tall ships revisit Oswego’s local history, “ said Mercedes Niess, executive director, H. Lee White Maritime Museum. “Tall ships—especially commercial vessels—were in and out of our port for many, many years. Excursions aboard the Liberty, as well as our Lighthouse Tours, give people the unique view of our city and lakeside from Lake Ontario. How exciting is that perspective!
“In addition, the Liberty’s visit ties in nicely with our Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, which is home to 63 known shipwrecks—some dating back more than 200 years. It’s both nostalgic and a real-life experience aboard a tall ship.”
The Port of Oswego Authority (POA), the H. Lee White Maritime Museum (HLWMM), and the City of Oswego hosted the visit from the Liberty Clipper two-masted schooner on September 4 -7, said Thomas Schneider, interim executive director, POA. The Liberty Clipper, which offered three sailing trips each day, was docked outside the museum at the West Pier. The vessel last visited Oswego in late June on its way to the Toronto Waterfront Festival.
“When construction on our H. Lee White SV Ontario schooner is completed and is in service, we plan to offer that exhilarating sailing experience and conduct research from here,” said museum board Vice President, Dr. Bob Morgan.
The 85-foot topsail schooner SV Ontario is cradled on the pier and under construction at HLWMM. “It will be the only ship of its type of US registry on Lake Ontario, dedicated specifically to public service,” Morgan said. SV Ontario is a multi-year ship construction project dedicated to Oswego’s rich heritage as a shipbuilding and maritime capital in the 1700s and 1800s. Since 1988, more than 200 volunteers have dedicated their time to building the steel hull schooner. Materials have been donated and some labor. The HLWMM is undergoing a fundraising drive to pay for expenses and professional services. For further information, or to support the project, contact Morgan or museum Executive Director Mercedes Niess at [email protected]. or www.hlwmm.org.
Built in 1983 at the Blount Shipyard in Rhode Island. Liberty is a steel-hulled modern replica of the Baltimore Clipper style schooners widely used, on account of their speed under sail, as Privateers during the War of Independence and the War of 1812. They also served as pilot ships in many of America’s largest ports.
For the past two decades Liberty Clipper has been an icon of Boston Harbor, providing guests with the opportunity to experience a traditional sailing vessel on short trips there. Oswego was the final stop on her Tall Ships Great Lakes 2025 tour.
The clipper, based in Portland, ME, was purchased in October 2023 by Zoe Moncheur and Captain Dylan Salzmann, and they are actively involved in its restoration. Moncheur grew up in New Zealand, and Salzmann is from Blue Hill, ME.
According to its bio, The schooner Liberty is outfitted with space for 24 overnight guests in 12 bunk-style cabins. Basic specifications are: draft, 8’; beam, 25.5’; sail area, 4,300 sq. ft.; sparred length, 125’; rig height, 72’; and power, Detroit 6-71 generating 256 hp.
The Port of Oswego’s strategic location at the crossroads of the Northeastern North American shipping market, puts them less than 350 miles from 60 million people. For more information on the Port of Oswego, visit www.portoswego.com.
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