The Port of Oswego Authority (POA) and the H. Lee White Marine Museum recently hosted a meeting of the Sodus Bay Maritime Captains Association (SBMCA), at the Goble Marina pavilion, said Thomas Schneider, interim executive director, POA. Following their meeting, the captains toured the museum and received an update on the museum’s schooner SV Ontario from museum board Vice President, Dr. Bob Morgan. From left: Captain Bob Wood, vice president, SBMCA; Captain Kathryn Tingley, president, SBMCA; Mercedes Niess, executive director, H. Lee White Maritime Museum; and Dr. Bob Morgan, museum vice president.
OSWEGO, NY – The Port of Oswego Authority (POA) and the H. Lee White Maritime Museum (HLWMM) recently hosted a meeting of the Sodus Bay Maritime Captains Association (SBMCA), at the Goble Marina pavilion, said Thomas Schneider, interim executive director, POA. Following their meeting, the captains toured the museum and received an update on the refitting of the museum’s schooner SV Ontario from museum board Vice President, Dr. Bob Morgan.
“It’s wonderful and fitting that the captains were meeting at the Goble marina, which was also the site of major shipbuilding in Oswego for many years,” Morgan said. “And just down the west pier, we’re refitting our schooner, SV Ontario, which was of great interest to the 30 Sodus Bay captains who visited us.”
The SBMCA is a member association consisting of United States Coast Guard Licensed Captains, formed in 2003. According to their website, www.sodusbaycaptains.org, their primary purpose is the education of the public and continuing education of their members in maritime safety and skills. Some of their members are available for work as licensed captains, and the association provides public programs on the basics of how to read a nautical chart, a First Mate Safe Return program designed to teach First Mates the knowledge and skills needed to call for help, know their location and operate a boat in the event their skipper becomes disabled. They also have a program for collecting and recycling monofilament fishing line.
During his tour, Morgan shared the history of Oswego as a maritime and shipbuilding capital in the 1700s and 1800s. “In celebration of this heritage, volunteers in November, 1988, completed the frame-up of SV Ontario, the first schooner to be built ion Oswego in over 100 years. This multi-year ship construction project was started by the Oswego Maritime Foundation, The HLWMM plans to complete the 85-foot topsail schooner for multi-faceted educational programming. It will be the only ship of its type of US registry on Lake Ontario, dedicated specifically to public service.”
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.
“As an educational vessel with an intended capacity of 35, including crew, SV Ontario will provide school and community groups an opportunity to learn about the history, heritage, resources, and ecology of the Great Lakes with a professional staff,” Morgan said. The SV Ontario’s hull was christened and launched on July 2, 1994, 115 years to the day as the last schooner built in Oswego. The vessel is cradled next to the museum and volunteers continue to refit most major systems including propulsion, electric supply and storage, plumbing, navigation, and more. A new engine, transmission and generator are being installed, and new masts are under construction at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, CT. 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.
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