Tall Ship Lynx
A familiar sight here on the island in the St. Simons Sound is the Lynx sailing by visitors at the Pier, capturing the attention of onlookers in the earshot of one of our cannon salutes, or catching some airtime on the Golf Channel during the RSM Classic. This Square Topsail Schooner modeled after an actual War of 1812 Privateer was built by Woods Maritime, Inc and launched in 2001 at Rockport Marine in Rockport, Maine. A purpose-built educational platform inspired to share America’s unique history and steadfast determination for freedom and independence, she’s a beautiful classroom on the water. Today, the home port of Lynx is Nantucket, MA and she sails the waters of New England during the summer. Through the fall and winter months, and she seeks the warmer waters of the South and is currently here in the Golden Isles.
The War of 1812 has a very significant relationship to St Simons Island. The Live Oak here was not only a technological advance in ship building, it gave the U.S. an advantage over the British who did not have the ability to harvest from these local forests. At the outbreak of the war, the American Navy consisted of only 17 ships: eight frigates, two brigs, and seven assorted smaller vessels, including a few schooners. Of particular note was a frigate named the USS Constitution, because she was constructed with the Live Oak from St. Simons Island. The Constitution became well-known for her actions during the War of 1812 when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five British warships. She was memorialized in poetry and given the nickname “Old Ironsides” for her sturdy construction. Today, her home is in Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard. Due to the small size of the Navy fleet, President James Madison created his own “private Navy” made up of private vessels that were granted special permissions, called “letters of marque,” to engage with British merchants shipping cargo on the high seas; these were called “privateers” and could not be charged with piracy for their acts against the enemy. The letter of marque acquired by Lynx cost her owners $15,000 in 1812 currency.
Guided by Lynx’s educational mission, programs have been designed using “Best Researched Practices to Georgia’s State Standards” making Lynx a legitimate field trip destination under the guidelines of the Georgia Department of Education. While here in the Golden Isles, over two seasons Lynx has hosted more than 600 students from grades 4 through 8 and children attending Brunswick and St. Simons Island Boys and Girls Club programs.
Kids learning aboard ship
John Pope, Associate Head of School and Director of Advancement at Frederica Academy raves about his school’s participation with the Lynx Educational Foundation. “Frederica Academy takes great pride in its commitment to experiential learning and leveraging the Golden Isles as an outdoor classroom and hands-on laboratory. Captain Peacock and his team aboard the Tall Ship Lynx have been valuable partners in that regard. Over the past year, our teachers have collaborated with the deeply talented and passionate team of Lynx educators to design customized curricular experiences to optimize lessons about maritime history and marine biology life unique to our waters, marshes, and beaches. Each adventure has provided an opportunity for students to help navigate the extraordinary Lynx just as the explorers who designed and operated tall ships did in the early 19th century. The students’ experiences aboard the Lynx are a seamless series of STEM lessons that help spark a collective desire to learn more about applied mathematics and nautical engineering.”
For school and Boys & Girls Club field trips trips, Lynx sails from both Brunswick Landing Marina and Morningstar Marina, and participating children are bused in for a sail on the St. Simons Sound that takes a little over two hours. The Lynx Educational Foundation, owner of the Tall Ship Lynx, has underwritten the expense, providing free access to children of the Golden Isles to a platform for personal development and self discovery with an underlying history lesson.
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They learn history too!
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On ship experiences
John Pope also addressed the significance of this type of learning opportunity, “Perhaps the most valuable aspect of each Lynx outing is the indelible memory created of a shared experience with classmates having so much fun together aboard a beautiful ship in a stunning coastal setting. We are continually seeking partners and experiential learning opportunities that can help us prepare our students to be successful in college and adult life while also offering blissful childhood adventures whenever possible. We are very grateful that Captain Peacock and his talented Tall Ship Lynx team share this vision and have been so eager to host our students and teachers aboard their world-class and spectacular floating classroom.”
The Foundation operates using the theory, “If you build it, they will come.” We are counting on donations to follow the good work we do on deck. The Foundation is a donation supported registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, so anyone can help support the educational mission and continued access for students. Any and all help is appreciated.
Lessons on deck
Lynx is establishing itself as a member of the Golden Isles community through these student programs and regular public sails in the local waters. We feel it is important to be involved in the community, whether as a Chamber of Commerce member or making Lynx available to charitable organizations as a method of fundraising for their benefit. We’re happy to say we have done this quite successfully. We’re also excited to share that Lynx will to play a role in this year’s Taps at Twilight Memorial Day program presented by the St. Simons Rotary.
We have found true Southern hospitality here! The appreciation for the Tall Ship Lynx has been wonderful. In December, the Lynx Educational Foundation embarked on a relief mission trip due to the support and help from the St Simons Rotary with Beth Smith and Susan Imhoff obtaining donations and John Pope at Frederica gathering relief items and school supplies that enabled a sail to Grand Bahama Island where Rotary International of GBI received 800 lbs. of donated items for distribution to the hard-hit Abaco Islands. The Lynx received generosity from the sailing public and numerous people donated money for the acquisition of school supplies. During the planning and packing for the trip, people delivered food for the crew, and made them feel the Christmas spirit as their journey was about to take place.
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Captain Donald Peacock
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Captain Casey
Finding accommodations for the demands and needs of a tall ship and a community that rises to the level of our need is a tall order, but we have experienced a warm welcome here in the Golden Isles and know our efforts and back drop are appreciated. The ship is a world of its own; we are a small community and a family at the same time. Typically, our crew will consist of Captain, Chief Mate, Bosun, Engineer, two deckhands, and cook. While voyaging offshore Lynx sails with 11 crew members. Lynx sails over 20,000 miles a year, but this year we have found a winter home at Brunswick Landing Marina where we can use the winter maintenance period to work on the ship 6 days a week with a talented and diverse crew.
During this period, Lynx is investing not only in the ship, but also in the community, by undergoing a major refit, including masts removal and deck work, as well as major work on engine and floor surfaces. Lynx’s guns will also receive attention and be delivered to Florida for reconditioning and service. The crew has moved off the ship and into a crew house. We also had a crew of shipwrights come in from Maine to work on the deck. They were so impressed with the set up at Brunswick Landing Marina that they are even considering purchasing several homes in the area. Attracting other ships to Brunswick for this kind of refit work and being able to offer crew housing is a tremendous value. Because the facilities are here and the climate is great for all kinds of production, it simply makes sense.
Lynx between the palms
Lynx will be underway again in April, sailing from Morningstar Marina. Weekends and sunsets are reserved for public ticketed sailings, while weekdays are reserved schools and other youth organizations. Lynx is also available for private charter, weddings and other special sailings. There are many ways to help—or maybe we can help you! We are only limited by what we do not create. Lynx’s maxim we sail by and carved into the ships wheel: “Be Excellent to Each Other and to Your Ship.” For more information about Tall Ship Lynx and its sailing and educational opportunities, visit tallshiplynx.org or call 978.479.2197.
