This summer the canal schooner Lois McClure drew the attention of 30,000 visitors to the Hudson River. Perhaps next summer she can work the same magic for the 524-mile New York State Canal System.A canal boat that drew 30,000 visitors when it toured the Hudson River this summer will sail on the New York State Canal system in 2007 to draw tourists to businesses in canal towns. The "Lois McClure," a replica canal schooner, was built by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vt.
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The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is committing the "Lois McClure" to the 2007 tour because the museum's educational mission includes teaching the public about the importance of the canal system in the region's maritime history, said museum director Arthur Cohn. Canal schooners were designed to sail from New York City up the Hudson River, be towed by a mule through the Champlain Canal, and then sail up Lake Champlain to a final destination, Cohn said. These boats were the long-haul trucks of the 19th century.
Boat will promote tourism along 524-mile canal system - The Business Review (Albany):
The news was announced at the 2006 New York State Canal Conference last weekend. The Lois McClure is an 88 foot two-masted schooner, a replica of a sailing-canal boat. Take a look at the Lois McClure website for information about the Louis McClure, canal schooners in general, and the remainder of the 2006 schedule (look for her in Grand Isle, VT, and Plattsburgh, NY)
K W Kerr
technorati tags: tall+ship, schooner, Lois+McClure, NY+Canal+System
