Schooner Liberty
Built at the end of the Great Depression, Schooner Liberty was built from Sam Crocker's #136 "Aunt Sara" design. In 1936 her first owner, Mr. Morton Chambers of Woodbury, New Jersey, christened her "L.F. Drake" after a shipmate of his in the merchant service after W.W.I." At age 22, (Drake) was 2nd officer (any ocean, any tonnage) of a large passenger ship and the following year he was dead." (1)
Since that time, the gaff-rigged schooner "L.F. Drake" underwent a change of ownership seven times and a change of name, five. The last known survivor of her make and design, she became "Liberty" in the summer of 2005 and immediately began undergoing restoration. In the Spring of 2006, Schooner Liberty was launched and ready for service after being on the hard for six long years. She currently makes her home in the Olcott Harbor off Lake Ontario's shoreline in the town of Newfane, New York.
(1) Letter from Chambers Aug. 14 1974 to then current owner Sam Hoyt
Specifications
Designer: S. S. Crocker
Builder: Henderson & Henderson, Port Elizabeth, New Jersey
Year Built: 1936
Hull: Long leaf pine over White Oak ribs
Length: 35' LOD, 51' LOA
Beam: 11' 6"
Draft: 5'4"
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