Tall Ship Lynx Takes Center Stage

CHATHAM – Stage Harbor hosted a celebrity guest this week, as the Tall Ship Lynx held court for a parade of admirers.

Facing stiff headwinds, the two-masted schooner motored its way slowly from Nantucket to Chatham Monday, arriving about an hour behind schedule. The delay might have deterred some, but many spectators remained, welcoming the tall ship from Harding’s Beach, from the shores of Stage Harbor, and from a small flotilla of pleasure boats.

The crew fired several salutes from the schooner’s six-pounder carronades, creating thunderous booms that echoed around the harbor.

At a sparred length of 122 feet, the Lynx gingerly came about before tying up at the trap dock near Old Mill Boat Yard. Its arrival was timed to coincide with high tide; while the harbor is deep enough to accommodate the schooner, shoaling at the entrance channel required some careful maneuvering.

Launched in 2001, the Lynx was inspired by an American schooner of the same name that served as a privateer in the War of 1812. It partners with schools to teach American history and marine science, spending summers based on Nantucket and wintering at St. Simons Island, Ga. It also occasionally competes in local regattas. The two-masted craft operates as a living history museum and floating classroom.

The ship was open to the general public for deck tours, and also hosted school groups each morning. As part of a special tour for the nation’s 250th birthday, the Lynx has around a dozen ports of call this season; it is scheduled to depart Chatham for New Rochelle, N.Y., on Sept. 17, and will visit Chestertown, Md., before heading for its winter port of St. Simon’s Island, Ga., on Nov. 1.

For more information and updates, visit www.TallShipLynx.org.