The role of sailing and sail boats at Proctor is remarkable, given its location 70 mile from the Atlantic. Boat building at this school has a long and cherished history that one may appreciate by visiting several archived Corners, such as A Little Boat Comes Home , A Dream Comes True and Delayed Gratification. Even before we get into Ocean Classroom--Proctor's nine-week adventure at sea--the history of sail boats at Proctor is rich. A couple of years ago, a generous friend of the school donated a 22-foot Herreshoff-designed catboat name "Red Lion" to Proctor. During Project Period in March, a team of students worked to restore this pretty boat.

This isn't the first time we've mentioned catboats on this site. When Ocean Classroom visited Mystic Seaport Museum, reference was made to the Crosby family's contribution to the design of this shallow-draft work boat in a page entitled Naval Architecture.

Here's an image of the renovated Red Lion today, dockside at a secluded berth on the west shore of Lake Sunapee:

In September, Red Lion will be employed to teach basic sailing concepts to 20 students as they prepare to board a 130-foot schooner for the fall trimester's adventure to the Caribbean. In the meantime, Ocean Classroom Director David Pilla (who has contributed much to the boat's improvements) is inviting faculty to enjoy the boat on Sunapee. Here's an English teacher enjoying the helm in front of a brisk northwesterly breeze:

This page will next be updated on August 3. Later!