LOTUS Home

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LOTUS NOW!

On December 14th, The Friends Of The Schooner Lotus (FOTSL) purchased the boat from the Seneca Waterways Council. On December 21st, the LOTUS was transported to Beacon Bay Marina in Cayuga for indoor winter storage and assessment. Cayuga Wooden Boat Works at the same location will provide FOTSL with estimates of a series of repairs and restorative work so fundraising can begin. CWBW is willing to begin work very soon when funds become available. Please help us get her back in the water soon!

Follow these links to the Youtube clips of the move:
Leaving Katlynn
At Beacon Bay Marina

The Schooner LOTUS

MISSION:

The mission of the Friends of the Schooner LOTUS is the preservation and restoration of the vessel, providing for the proper maintenance and care in the ship’s future, and assuring that the public and non-profit organizations are granted use of the vessel in the best interest of the upkeep and longevity of the LOTUS.

VISION:

The vision of the Friends of the Schooner Lotus is to promote and operate the LOTUS with activities for all ages to be engaged and inspired by the maritime heritage of the Great Lakes

Schooner Lotus Restoration

The Schooner Lotus restoration has begun. The managing organization called "The Friends of the Schooner Lotus" or FOTSL have begun to raise funds to match the generous grant approved in December of 2022 and finalized in December 2023. The New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation awarded a grant in the amount of $266, 687 through the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF220031) for the Schooner Lotus restoration. This is a matching grant which will reimburse 75% of the restoration expenses. FOTSL will need to raise a total of $98,896 to complete the $365,583 estimated restoration budget.
The restoration contract has been awarded to Cayuga Wooden Boat Works in Cayuga, NY near her home of Sodus Point.
Work has begun to make repairs to the historic 1918 wooden schooner. Exploratory removal of garboards and other planks is in process to establish actual repairs needed.
Check here as we begin posting progress pictures and videos.

Please have a look at our video clip by clicking on the title or picture and see if you would like to join in on being a part of this awesome process.

Thank you for watching!

A brief history of the LOTUS

The LOTUS is a two-masted, wooden schooner designed by William Hand Jr. in 1916. The vessel was launched in 1917 and has been sailed on the Great Lakes and near East coast with few interruptions. A full history is attached. The LOTUS is, at this time, one of seven remaining Hand designed boats, and the most unique schooner of the group.
Since 1971, the LOTUS was sailed by Sea Scout Ship 303 out of Webster, Rochester and Sodus Bay. The LOTUS made port along the south shores of Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence river and New York City. The LOTUS served as a main attraction at the annual “Pirate Days” in Alexandria Bay for decades. Sadly, the loss of her long-time captain Bob Ellis in 2015 interrupted the continuity of use and maintenance, and caused the boat to fall behind in repairs. The LOTUS was pulled from the water in 2016 to reveal a large hole in the hornbeam above the rudder. Subsequent surveys determined the boat in need of extensive repairs, and has been sitting on the hard ever since. Sea Scout Ship 303 dissolved briefly.
In 2017, a group of scouting adults rallied the community and made the call to formulate a way to re-charter Ship 303 and save the LOTUS. This committee paved the way to forming the current effort of The Friends of the Schooner LOTUS. Sea Scout Ship 303 continues to train scouts in sailing and boat maintenance at Newport Yacht Club on Irondequoit Bay. The Friends of the Schooner LOTUS formed in the Spring of 2019, and are now organized to affect the restoration and future use of this precious and historical vessel which made it’s home in Sodus Bay for so many decades.

Specifications of the LOTUS

Specifications

Dimensions
Length : 48 feet (15 m) on deck, 60 feet (18 m) from the tip of the bowsprit to the end of the main boom
Beam : 12 feet (3.7 m), 3 inches
Draft : 4 feet (1.2 m), 9 inches
Weight : 16 tons (approximate)
Total Sail Area : 950 square feet (88 m²)

Engine
Yanmar 88 hp (66 kW) four cylinder, turbo-charged diesel with sealed heat exchange

Materials
Masts : Sitka Spruce
Frames : Oak
Original Hull Planking: Long-leaf Yellow Pine
Replacement Hull Planking: Mahogany
Main Deck : Vertical-grain Douglas Fir
Cockpit Deck : Long-leaf Yellow Pine
Original Cabin tops : Canvas