Port, H. Lee White Museum, Oswego Hosts Liberty Clipper Schooner Sept. 4-7 For Day Sail/Sunset Sail Opportunities

OSWEGO, NY – The Port of Oswego Authority (POA),  the H. Lee White Maritime Museum (HLWMM), and the City of Oswego will host a visit from the 125-foot Liberty Clipper two-masted schooner on September 4 -7, said Thomas Schneider, interim executive director, POA. The Liberty Clipper, which will offer three sailing trips each day, will be docked outside the museum at the West Pier .

“The Liberty Clipper was here in Oswego in late June for a brief visit on its way to the Toronto Waterfront Festival,” said museum board Vice President, Dr. Bob Morgan. “This visit offers the unforgettable experience of taking a 1.5-hour day sail or a two-hour sunset sail aboard this historic vessel.” Day sails will be offered each day, from Sept. 4-7, at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., and sunset sails will be at 6:00 p.m.  Rates are $69 per person for day sails, and $89 per person for sunset sails. Booking is online at the following link: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/libertyclipper/items/659641/calendar/2025/08/?fu=

Built in 1983 at the Blount Shipyard in Rhode Island. She 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.

“We’re excited to bring this ship to the Great Lakes” says Capt. Dylan Salzmann “It’s an honor to visit this area and share their history, craftsmanship and sailing prowess with a new generation here on glorious Lakie Ontario.”

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. Currently, she is sailing the Great Lakes as part of the 2025 Tall Ship

Festival and will be adding Oswego as a final stop on her tour. Tall Ships Great Lakes 2025, is part of the Tall Ships Challenge, an annual event organized by Tall Ships America alternating among the Great Lakes, and the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America (www.tallshipsamerica.org).

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.

            Cradled on the pier and under construction at HLWMM is the  85-foot topsail schooner SV Ontario.  “The HLWMM plans to complete construction of the schooner for multi-faceted educational programming,” Morgan said. “It will be the only ship of its type of US registry on Lake Ontario, dedicated specifically to public service.” 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.

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.