Photo of the schooner Lotus by Edith Farrington
The Story of the Lotus:
For many years the schooner Lotus graced Sodus Bay during the summer months. This early 1900s schooner has a very interesting history:
The Restoration Begins
Unfortunately, the last few years have not been kind to this wonderful lady. Recently, The Friends of the Schooner Lotus was formed with a goal of restoring the schooner to its former glory for future generations to enjoy. Recently two major steps in that direction have been accomplished:
They have taken ownership of the schooner from the Boy Scouts of America and it has been transported to its temporary home for repairs to begin.
Tom Lightfoot (The Village of Sodus Point Historian) was there to record the beginning of its new voyage:
The newly incorporated Friends of the Schooner Lotus took ownership of the schooner Lotus on December 14th. Today, the boat was shipped to its new, temporary home at Cayuga Wooden Boatworks In Beacon Bay Marina in Cayuga, NY. Here it is leaving the Katlynn Marina.
As you can see (especially from the stern photo), extensive repairs will need to be done. This is an expensive undertaking. If you would like to donate to this worthwhile project, we have started fundraising and are excepting donations, which can be sent to:
Friends of the Schooner Lotus, P.O. Box 2, Sodus Point, NY 14555.
Here is a video of the rescue of this iconic part of our history:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6sFO2eueJs&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR02PjlhOdW_t8fb-jq34VTBwY_Dg1ATDAfeT7YdI7KHBXuNhr0kh3f0xa8
Stay tuned for future updates as the project moves forward!