Tall Ships

St. Lawrence II

History

The St. Lawrence II was purpose built for youth sail training at Kingston Shipyards in 1953, and entered service the following summer. Nowadays she operates a summer program for youth between the ages of 13-23, as well as voyages for adults and charters in the fall and spring. It is the oldest youth Sail Training program in North America.

Designed as a sail training Ship by a young local Naval Architect name Francis MacLachlan, of Maclachlan and Eames Yacht Design, the Ship was completely funded through community donations and support. St. Lawrence II has been operating for 63 consecutive seasons, and over that period they have fine tuned, modernised, and streamlined the program to make it as powerful and memorable as possible.

Ship

The Tall Ship St. Lawrence II offers an outcome focused, immersive outdoor adventure youth program aboard the ship, which aims to inspire young people to become stronger, happier people. The Ship is a purpose built sail training vessel, designed to maximize the effectiveness of the sailing experience.

St. Lawrence II sails from Kingston, Ontario, the “Freshwater Sailing Capital of the World”, voyaging mainly on Lake Ontario & the St. Lawrence River. With the length of only 22m she is one of the most compact square-rigged Ships in the world.

St. Lawrence II fosters youth development and leadership; there are 10 youth leaders on board, under the age of 20. The Ships runs summer training cruises for people between the ages of 12 and 23, and it’s usually only the captain and first officer who are older than 25.

Accommodation

The Ship offers “Everything you need, and nothing you don’t”. The design principle follows from the Ship's mission of offering an unadorned, outcome focused program. The basic, functional, design is meant to enhance interpersonal engagement and foster an appreciation for, and connection with, the natural world. The quarters are simple bunks separated into three cabin-like rooms, with a galley, two heads, and an engine compartment.

Specifications