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Schooner Liberty Clipper

Join us aboard the flagship of the fleet, the 125-foot Schooner Liberty Clipper and experience the grandeur and excitement of a traditional tall ship!  As a gaff-rigged schooner, everything is done by hand – and you can join in!  Learn a little bit of tall ship sailing 101 and be ready to “HAUL AWAY” as you help the crew raise the mainsail and foresail.  Later on, join the captain at the aft deck to take a turn at the helm.  Enjoy the sights and sounds of Boston Harbor as they once did “back in the day”.

History


The schooner Liberty Clipper was built in 1983 at the Blount Shipyard in Rhode Island.  With a steel hull, she is a modern replica of a Baltimore Clipper style schooner, which were widely used during the 18th and 19th centuries.  Known to be some of the fastest sailing vessels of their day, many Baltimore Clipper schooners were used as Privateers during the War for Independence and the War of 1812, and were also utilized in many large ports as pilot ships to guide visiting vessels into the harbor.  As part of the Liberty Fleet of Tall Ships, she has been providing guests the opportunity to experience a traditional sailing vessel in Boston Harbor for the past two decades.

Liberty Clipper was designed not only to help sustain the tradition of tall ship sailing, but also to accommodate guests on multi-day windjammer cruises.  She is outfitted with space for 24 overnight guests in 12 bunk-style cabins.  You can find her sailing the Bahamian Out Islands of Eleuthera and the Exumas during her winter sailing season.

Vessel Specifications


Ship Registry United States of America
Certification US Coast Guard Passenger Vessel
Vessel Rig Gaff Rigged Topsail Schooner
Homeport Boston, MA (Summer); Nassau, Bahamas (Winter)
Length Overall 125 feet
Length of Deck 87 feet
Waterline Length 76 feet
Draft 8ft (board-up) / 14 ft (board-down)
Beam 27 feet
Mast Height 108 feet
Freeboard 5 feet
Sail Area 4300 square feet
Gross Registered Tonnage 99 tons
Vessel Displacement 163 tons
Auxiliary Power Detroit 6-71
Hull Steel
Deck Douglass Fir
Masts Steel
Spars Douglass Fir
Crew Compliment 9 Near-coastal / 12 Offshore
Designer Charles Wittholz
Year Built 1983