Tag Archives: Lois McClure

Vermont-based schooner, Lois McClure heading to New York for hull repairs

WATERFORD, N.Y. (AP) A Vermont-based replica of a 19th-century Lake Champlain freighter is making its way to a canal facility in upstate New York for repairs.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.northcountrypublicradio.org

Vermont-based schooner, Lois McClure heading to New York for hull repairs

Launched in 2004, the replica 1862 canal schooner Lois McClure embarked on eleven journeys with her faithful sidekick and essential power source, the tug C.L. Churchill. Having logged over 5,200 miles on our interconnected lake, canals and rivers, she has ventured as far south as New York City, as far west as Buffalo, and as far north as Quebec City engaging people in the history and archaeology of their waterways. Over 220,000 visitors have stepped on board in 220 communities, and learned of shipbuilding races, naval battles, lake ecology, shipwreck preservation and invasive species.

“Caring for a wooden boat is an ongoing process, much like owning an automobile,” explains Deputy Director Erick Tichonuk, who oversees schooner operations. “It’s never finished, always an ongoing process. As these boats age, greater maintenance and occasionally a larger project are needed. And with replica vessels, we learn a lot from experience, since the boatyards and crews of the past are long gone.”

Annual maintenance of the schooner includes safety inspection and repairs or replacements of accessible portions of the vessel showing wear or rot. Over the years, sections of decking have been replaced, rigging has been repaired and replaced, and repainting is always part of the program. The biggest project so far was replacing the foremast, in 2011.

See on Scoop.it – Lake Champlain Life

Lake Champlain

This 128-page softcover book features stunning historical images from the archives of Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and other regional collections, and includes chapters on Patriotic Sites and Celebrations; Commerce in the Canal Era; The Age of Steam; Crossing Lake Champlain; Recreational Boating; Summer and Summer Folk; Hunting and Fishing; and Winter. ‘Lake Champlain’ tells the story of this historic, busy commercial corridor and recreational destination.

Buy Here

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Maritime Burlington: New Waterfront Exhibit Highlights Burlington’s Nautical History

Maritime Burlington Comes to the Burlington Waterfront

June 20 brings a new attraction to the Burlington, Vermont waterfront.  Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) features a new interpretive exhibit, Maritime Burlington in a festive “big top tent” at Perkins Pier on Maple Street.  The Maritime Burlington exhibit features highlights from the nautical archaeology fieldwork and historical research of LCMM. The exhibit encourages exploration and discovery and serves as a porthole to Burlington’s nautical history for visitors and area residents. It will also serve as a resource for LCMM’s new Lake Adventure Camps.

 

Maritime Burlington - Canal boats in port, Burlington, VT, early 1900s. Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Collection.

Canal boats in port, Burlington, VT, early 1900s.
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Collection.

“We are very excited to be greeting the public right where so much history happened. The lake’s first steamboat, Vermont – and the second commercially successful steamboat in the world – was launched right here on the Burlington waterfront in 1808.” ~ LCMM Executive Director Mike Smiles

 

See the changing views of the Burlington waterfront over the years -the breakwater, lighthouses, steamboats, canal boats, railroads and the cargo shipped in and out of the Champlain Valley. Use a working replica of a nineteenth century crane to lift cargo into a small-scale canal boat. Weekends will feature demonstrations of such maritime skills as shaping spars, ropework and rigging.

 

Maritime Burlington - Looking south from Battery Street, Burlington, VT. Courtesy University of Vermont Bailey/Howe Special Collections.

Looking south from Battery Street, Burlington, VT.
Courtesy UVM Bailey/Howe Special Collections.

Several boats from the LCMM fleet will also visit the waterfront at Perkins Pier:

  • MV Baldwin will host the Saturday Shipwreck tours in July and August;
  • Champlain Longboats, the student-built rowing boats used for community rowing, regional racing events, and On Water Ecology tours.
  • Schooner Lois McClure  although the schooner is not available for boarding in 2015 while preparing for restoration work this fall
  • C. L. Churchill (the Lois McClure’s companion wooden tugboat)

 

Maritime Burlington Schedule

  •  June 20 through August 23: Open Daily
  • August 24 through October 12: Open Wednesday through Sunday
  • Lake Adventure Camps: June 22 through August 14

 

Acknowledgements

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s exhibit Maritime Burlington, 2015 Lake Adventure Camps and the restoration of schooner Lois McClure are made possible thanks to the generous support of sponsors including Burlington Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront, Lake Champlain Transportation, Seventh Generation, Merchants Bank, Dan Landau, the McClure Family, and the Lake Champlain Basin Program. This project was funded in part by an agreement awarded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to the New England Water Pollution Control Commission (NEI WPCC) in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP).

 

About the Lois McClure

Lois McClure was built by LCMM shipwrights and volunteers on the Burlington waterfront in 2001-2004, based on two shipwrecks of 1862-class canal schooners discovered in Lake Champlain.

Launched in 2004, Lois McClure has completed eleven journeys. Over 5,200 miles on the region’s inland waterways have carried the schooner south to New York City, west to Buffalo and Lake Ontario, and north to Quebec City, engaging people in history and archaeology at every port.

More than 220,000 visitors in 220 communities have stepped on board. This replica vessel has been the most effective outreach program LCMM has ever conducted, and is a leader in the world of Maritime Museums.

 

The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is located on the shore of Lake Champlain at 4472 Basin Harbor Road in Vergennes, Vermont, across from the Basin Harbor Club. LCMM brings underwater discoveries and lake adventures to the public in exciting and imaginative ways.

The Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through October 11, 2015. LCMM Members and children 5 and under receive free admission. For more information call (802) 475-2022 or visit www.lcmm.org.

Other Lake Champlain News:

 

Mike Smiles appointed new Executive Director at LCMM

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) announces appointment of Mike Smiles as new Executive Director

Mike Smiles appointed new Executive Director at LCMM

J. Michael “Mike” Smiles
new Executive Director at LCMM

The Board of Directors of Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) announced the appointment of J. Michael “Mike” Smiles as the museum’s new Executive Director. Mike will assume the role from Erick Tichonuk, who is stepping down from the position. Mike begins the leadership role on January 5, 2015.

 

“Mike brings a breadth of experience that will broaden the Museum’s impact in reaching and serving diverse audiences through our collection of historic replica vessels, innovative education programs, hands-on rowing programs, publications, research, and permanent and traveling exhibits,. We’re delighted to have him join our team of highly dedicated staff, committed volunteers, and engaged members and donors as we begin our 30th year of operation.” ~ L.C.M.M. Board Chair Bob Beach

Smiles is a career non-profit professional, who comes to LCMM from the New England Science & Sailing Foundation (NESS) in Stonington, CT. At NESS he served as Vice President and Director of Advancement for three years. NESS was named as the 2013 Outstanding Community Sailing Center in America by US Sailing, and offers education programs to more than 3,000 students annually at three locations. NESS also established one of the first AmeriCorps public school partnerships incorporating kayaking, marine science, and sailing to advance science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be joining such an outstanding organization, especially given its inspiring and innovative mission of discovery and hands-on learning. I am proud to help lead the Museum as a center of excellence in nautical archaeology, boat building, and touring replica historic ships that bring history to life for thousands of people.” ~ J. Michael Smiles, new Executive Director at LCMM

A long-time summer resident of Essex, NY on Lake Champlain, Smiles is the former Director of Development at Mystic Seaport – the Museum of America and the Sea, and Chief Development Officer of The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for seriously ill children founded by Paul Newman. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of New Haven and is a graduate of Beloit College in Wisconsin. He and his wife, Martha, will be moving to Vermont from their home of 20 years in Noank, Connecticut.

Smiles will be part of an effort to raise awareness and continue expanding the Museum’s education programs, and secure its leadership in nautical archaeology and educational outreach and impact.

“Many members, donors, and partners are eager to support the Museum because they appreciate its innovative approach in bringing history to life through hands-on learning and self-discovery. Erick’s contribution to the Museum over the years has been immeasurable and I look forward to working with him in my new role as Executive Director to assure his depth of knowledge and passion for LCMM’s mission will best serve the Museum’s bright future.  In the meantime, I look forward to meeting LCMM’s many friends, members, and partner organizations as I embrace what I believe to be one of finest maritime museums in the country.” ~  Mike Smiles, new Executive Director at LCMM

About the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum:

Mike Smiles appointed new Executive Director at LCMM

Lois McClure and Philadelphia II docked at North Harbor, at LCMM Basin Harbor facility.
(Photo by Bob Hardy)

Through nautical exploration, an active fleet of historic replica vessels, boat-building programs for special needs students, and hands-on exhibits and learning adventures for all ages, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum brings to life the stories of Lake Champlain and its people. Its mission is to preserve and share the rich history of the Lake Champlain region with a broad audience through publications, research, exhibits and education programs. LCMM’s exhibit buildings and on-water programs are seasonal; archaeological research, collection management and education programs continue all year. More information can be found at  www.lcmm.org or call 802 475-2022.

 

More Articles About The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum:

                               

 

The ‘Lois McClure’

The Lois McClure

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The ‘Lois McClure’

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The schooner Lois McClure is a full-scale replica of an 1862 sailing canal boat. These unique vessels were designed specifically to accommodate the special requirements of lake sailing and canal travel.

With the completion of the Champlain Canal in 1823, connecting Lake Champlain to the Hudson River traffic in trade along Lake Champlain virtually exploded. Along with the traditionally designed sloops, schooners and the recently invented steamboats the lake now saw the birth of the new sailing-canal boat.

The Lake Champlain sailing-canal boat was designed to be able to sail from distant lake ports to the canal on the power of the wind. Upon reaching the canal, the masts were lowered and centerboard raised and the now transformed vessel could directly enter the canal. The first versions were characterized by the randomness of their design. By 1841 the design had been standardized and the vessels were just under 80 feet in length and roughly 13 feet in beam, so that they could fit the locks and canals. By 1862, the expansion of the canal allowed for an expansion of design, and the new “1862” class was developed – at roughly 88 feet in length and 14 feet in beam, with a slightly deeper depth of hold.

Two shipwrecks in particular were studied for the creation of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s replica, Lois McClure, both are located in Burlington Harbor, Vermont. For a detailed story on these wrecks, follow the links to the OJ Walker, and General Butler. Now these shipwrecks are part of the Lake Champlain Underwater Historic Preserve System, accessible by any SCUBA diver.

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Schooner Lois McClure returning Home

Lois McClure

The schooner is named in honor of Lois McClure, who, along with her husband Mac, has been a major contributor to the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) in Ferrisburgh, Vermont and many other worthy community projects in the greater Burlington area. Lois McClure was honored as the ‘2013 Vermonter of the Year’ by the Burlington Free Press.

Construction of Lois McClure began in earnest in 2002 at the Lake Champlain Transportation Company’s Burlington Shipyard, shortly after the building of her tender, Mac. Since no plans exist for these sailing canal boats, LCMM turned to a talented group of naval architects, historians, and archaeologists. Both the General Butler and O.J. Walker have been studied and documented. These reports were handed over to naval architect Ron A. Smith to create the plans necessary to build Lois McClure.

Lois McClure was launched July 3, 2004, attended by thousands of people on the Burlington waterfront. After some work on her rigging, she was ready for her first voyage around the lake. The Inaugural Tour brought Lois McClure to many ports of call around Lake Champlain, including Whitehall, Westport, Essex, Port Henry, and Plattsburgh, NY, and St. Albans, Grand Isle, Vergennes, Basin Harbor, and Shoreham, VT.

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The Schooner Lois McClure

Length: 88 feet
Beam: 14 1/2 feet
Cargo Capacity: 4400 cubic feet
Cargo Weight: 60 – 120 tons
Sail Plan: Mainsail 1309 square feet; Foresail 768 sq.ft; Jib 196 sq.ft

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The Lois McClure

Following are a number of articles about the Lois McClure and its travels around Lake Champlain, the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, the Hudson River and the Champlain and Erie Canals.

Be sure to check back for additional posts about the travels of the Lois McClure.