Stuart, FL History Of The Lily

Treasure Coast Sailing Adventures’ mission aboard the Schooner "Lily" is to give her passengers a unique sailing experience while providing a flagship for the Treasure Coast. We are in our second season, and we are departing from downtown Stuart Riverwalk Pier in Florida from October 2011, through July 2012, serving the Treasure Coast and surrounding area.

TCSA is a Stuart and Jensen Beach charter boat company based around a traditional wooden sailing vessel, the Lily. Lily is a schooner rig with a scow hull. In other words, she is a double masted sailing barge--a flat bottomed boat with a blunt bow. This ship was actually a working boat; a piece of the north east cargo history! As far as we know, she was the last boat purpose built to haul cargo commercially under sail power in the United States. Originally known as "Lily of Tisbury", she transported primarily lumber between Martha’s vineyard and Maine. The Lily could carry up to thirteen tons of cargo in her hold and on deck. Before the 1930's, vessels like the Lily ran in shallow waters, transporting cargo. The traditional deep keel of regular sailing vessels made it impossible to navigate shallow bays and rivers. Flat bottomed boats could navigate these waters and could even be beached to unload cargo. Many scows were custom built in the backyards of skilled carpenters.

The Lily was built by a man named Rick Brown in response to an oil embargo in the the 1970's, and she hauled cargo from 1978-1985. Then, she was bought by a private owner who planned on converting her into a yacht. Originally single masted, her new owner made her a two masted rig. When Treasure Coast Sailing Adventures’ founder met up with the Lily in 1999, she had sat on land for ten years, the total conversion having never been completed. Her current captain, Fred Newhart, participated in her restoration and quickly developed a special affinity for the boat, seeing her converted to a United States Coast Guard certified vessel with a forty two passenger capacity.

TCSA loves the Lily’s interesting origin and we share it with everyone who comes on the boat. We are preserving a little bit of an important maritime and cargo transport history, before the development of engines. Boats very similar to this were used up and down Florida's coastline, transporting citrus, groceries, lumber, and more to businesses and locals. Owners Captain Fred and First Mate Jamie are passionate about these traditional vessels and love sailing any kind of boat. When our passengers board, they can help raise the sails, learn how to coil, or they can sit back and relax with a glass of their own wine. By coming out with us, one can help sustain a small piece of our history and enjoy the beautiful outdoors without making much of a carbon imprint. We are a sailing ship, have no engine on board, and one can feel they have made a good choice without hurting the environment.

The founders of Treasure Coast Sailing Adventures are uniquely experienced in this specific boating industry. Captain Fred Newhart and Jamie Miscoski are responsible for all aspects of boat maintenance, passenger transportation and safety, crew training, and maintaining USCG documentation. .

Contact Treasure Coast Sailing Adventures today at 772-267-7076, or browse the website for more information about tours and pricing.