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We offer private charters and group trips seven days a week throughout our entire season. Do you have an event coming up? Think you might like to charter the boat? Read on to learn about the types of sails available to you. Then email us at [email protected] to reserve your date.
Take the helm of this Essex-built 65 foot Gloucester fishing schooner as we sail past lighthouses, castles, and magnificent waterfront homes. Sit back and enjoy the scenery or help the crew raise the sails as we sail through Gloucester’s working harbor, near rocky coves and beaches. Your group will have the entire boat to yourselves. What fun!
The Lannon provides a most unusual backdrop for that special occasion. We host birthday parties, family reunions, office get-togethers, memorial services (sprinkling ashes at sea), retirement parties, anniversary parties, and bachelor/bachelorette parties. Also, each season the Lannon is the setting for numerous weddings and pre and post-wedding events. Do you have someone graduating soon? Looking for an unusual place to hold a wedding rehearsal dinner? How about somewhere different for your company party this summer? People are discovering that the Lannon is a great venue for a client appreciation event. Thank your clients for their business by taking them for a sail aboard the Lannon. We will provide your group of up to 49 people with a unique, safe, and fun adventure that they’re sure to talk about for years to come.
Booking is always open for private charters and group trips.
Email us at [email protected] to start planning.
The rates are three-tiered, as follows:
We have hosted lots of groups on the Schooner Lannon. We find that Seniors, students, and non-sailors alike love their time on the Lannon. Conveniently berthed at the Gloucester House Restaurant, the Schooner Thomas E. Lannon offers a safe, relaxing and FUN way to spend some time on the beautiful waters of Cape Ann. A sail on the Lannon is not a “stand and stare” experience…help the crew raise the sails, take a turn at the wheel…this is hands-on and FUN!
We have been members of the American Bus Association and we love group travel! We were featured on the Travel Channel’s program “Fall Foliage in New England” as a fun activity when you’re in New England looking at the leaves.
Planning a group trip? Make it easy on yourself. Schedule a trip on the Lannon and a meal at the Gloucester House (known for their lobsterbakes, fresh seafood, and for being group-friendly). We tie–up right outside their Cafe Seven Seas, so boarding could not be easier. Motorcoach parking is available nearby.
Combine your sail with a visit to the Cape Ann Museum (three blocks away), the Essex Shipbuilding Museum (in neighboring Essex), or Maritime Gloucester (two blocks away), to extend the maritime theme of your sail on the Lannon. There is also great boutique shopping on Main Street (one block from us) offering no malls, no outlets…just an eclectic variety of interesting shops, galleries and eateries. Have you seen the Fisherman at the Wheel statue and the cenotaph listing the names of the men who failed to return from their fishing trips? How about the Fisherman’s Wife statue, to commemorate the other side of the story? Both are located along Stacy Boulevard, overlooking Gloucester Harbor. (Free). How about a tour of Beauport (the Sleeper-McCann House) or of Hammond Castle (home of inventor John Hays Hammond, Jr.) or of the Ryan & Wood Distillery? We’re the locals. We are happy to help you put together a day in Gloucester that will make your group smile. Just ask.
We offer a special in fall for our foliage groups: Why not add a day in Gloucester to your New England foliage experience? Monday-Friday, from mid-Sept. to mid–Oct., we offer one-and-a-half-hour sails at a discounted rate for groups of 30 or more. Call us and we’ll work out a convenient time for your sail.
The main difference is this. If you opt for the group rate (30 or more people) and your group size is less than 49 (the capacity of the boat), we may sell additional tickets to other people for that sail. So, there may be people sailing with your group that you don’t know. There is no food on our public group sails. Group rates are usually, although not always, used by groups traveling by motorcoach.
If you charter the boat, your group will have the boat to yourselves. We will set up a big table for you for your food. (We can help you with catering, you can bring your own food, or we can serve you a lobsterbake with all the fixings). Since we charter by the hour, the number of guests you bring is up to you. We have actually chartered the boat to as few as 2 people, and to as many as 49. A private charter is a little bit more special. If you are trying to put on a party that is more of an event, a private charter is definitely the way to go.
On all of our sails we offer beer, ale, wine, champagne, rum punch, soft drinks and a selection of salty, crunchy, bagged junk food.
For your private charter, we can provide you with a variety of options for food and drink.
We can offer you a complete lobsterbake with clam chowder, lobster and all the fixings (or a one-half BBQ chicken), prepared by the Gloucester House Restaurant and served onboard as we anchor off a harbor island or near a secluded cove. This dinner includes clam chowder, lobster or chicken, cornbread, corn-on-the-cob, coleslaw, and watermelon for dessert. We will be glad to make your lobsterbake arrangements for you. Plan at least a 3 hr. charter for this seafood feast/sail.
If you’d like to offer something a bit simpler to your guests, we work with several local caterers. From simple buffet menus (such as fabulous sandwiches and interesting salads) to elegant parties (with different and delicious hors d’oeuvres and main dishes), their creations will make your taste buds happy. Ask us for our list of local caterers.
A third option this season is the Chowda and Lobsta Roll Special. This is prepared by the Gloucester House and includes a cup of clam chowder, a fresh lobster roll and a bag of chips. Delicious and easy to serve buffet style. Just let us know your headcount and we will be happy to make the arrangements for you.
You may also use your own favorite caterer or you can have your guests bring something and have potluck for a $50 service fee.
And, yes, we serve beer, ale, wine, champagne, rum punch, soft drinks, and bottled water onboard.
Because of our liquor license, passengers may not carry alcohol on or off the vessel with them.
You can choose to have a cash bar, where your guests pay for their own drinks, or if you prefer, we can keep a tab and have one person settle up for the drinks at the end of your sail. All private charters require a two-hour minimum and include the services of our captain, crew, and bartender. (See exceptions above). Our crew works hard to show you and your guests a good time. Crew gratuities are always appreciated.
A sail on the Schooner Lannon is not your typical corporate outing. It’s quiet, it’s relaxing, it’s non-threatening, it’s a great place for a party! The Schooner Thomas E. Lannon office crew will help you plan a lobsterbake sail, a corporate teambuilding cruise, or a relaxing sunset sail to entertain clients. You should definitely consider the Schooner Thomas E. Lannon when planning your next corporate event.
Call us today to begin planning. We can help arrange food. You can use our one of our caterers or you can make your own arrangements for food. Your menu can be as simple or as lavish as you like. We can even arrange and serve a lobsterbake with clam chowder, lobster and all the fixings served onboard while we anchor in a quiet cove in the harbor. Or, how about “clam chowda and a fresh lobsta roll?” We offer beer, wine, ale, rum punch and soft drinks. We offer morning, afternoon, or evening trips, whichever you prefer. Our staff will make it easy for you and we guarantee that your trip will be a highlight of your season!
If you give us some notice, we can have any of our Lannon merchandise (hats, denim shirts, t-shirts, etc.) personalized to commemorate your event.
Here is what one satisfied customer wrote us about his corporate event last summer:
Last summer I had the pleasure of chartering the Thomas E. Lannon out of Gloucester for a private customer event. We first had a New England Style Lobster at the http://thegloucesterhouse.com followed by a sunset sail from the Seven Seas Wharf. In the business of High Technology, it’s not often you can set sail and leave the technology world behind. My clients had a blast. The crew of the Lannon were top notch. Captains Tom and Heath were professional and courteous. The crew was able and attentive to our Clients. If you’re interested in something a little different than a ball game or client dinner, give the crew of the http://schooner.org a call. See what it was like 100 years ago when men left Gloucester Harbor for a 1000 mile sail aboard a Fishing Schooner to catch Cod. Help the crew raise the sails or sit back and enjoy the sights of the Gloucester Coastline. You will not be disappointed. We will be back this summer!
-Nick Novello, Account Manager, www.conres.com
You can email us at [email protected] to set the wheels in motion.
In addition to Private Charters, we also offer Corporate Teambuilding cruises. You will have more of a hands-on experience as your group learns to handle the boat.
We offer a complete menu of full-day onboard business forums ranging from customized focused programs to memorable recreational cruises. Here are your options:
If you are looking for a more structured program, i.e., a day on the water where you can work together to accomplish shared goals, ask us about our teambuilding programs. We offer half-day and full-day programs, using the Lannon as an experiential platform.
We can work with you to design your own day at sea. Your group will learn how to navigate, how to set and trim sails, and how to steer a course…all in a FUN, hands-on environment led by our capable and experienced crew. You will work together on all aspects of sailing this 65-foot vessel. Thirty passengers maximum. Call us for pricing information.
Here is what one passenger had to say about her day aboard the Lannon with her team:
“The trip helped us at a critical juncture in the organization when anticipated growth led to a lot of hiring in the Marketing Group, including that of a new VP to head up the team. Prior to the trip, there were distinct personality differences which led to clashes between coworkers almost immediately.
On the trip, we got to know one another, which is still the prerequisite for any functioning team. Personally, I was surprised by the competence different individuals showed in this unusual setting outside the office. People showed unexpected talent in understanding the laws of physics, reading maps and figuring out coordinates, or just steering the course. This fostered new respect that carried over into the workplace. After the trip, we were truly a team. Interacting with one another had become easier. There were fewer tensions, and the whole group was more productive.
Some of us suggested that this type of team building experience was particularly important in cross-functional teams and in today’s virtual teams. In fact, our colleagues in Germany and Sweden adopted similar team-building activities modeled after our trip on the Thomas E. Lannon, in their respective countries and made getting together as a team at regular intervals during the year a priority.
Last but not least, I believe that it helped our new VP. By supporting the trip, he introduced himself to us as somebody who was willing to try new things. This encouraged us to open up and share our ideas for product innovations that we normally would have kept to ourselves out of fear that they were too “risky” and would not be received without criticism.
Although mergers and acquisitions scattered our original team all over the country, I am sure that each participant will take the positive memories of our trip on the Thomas E. Lannon with us to our new companies where it will help us integrate more easily and function better as leaders and members of our new teams.”
– Birgit Mohney
Marketing Communications Manager,
Siemens Medical Systems, Electromedical Systems Division
Strictly for fun! This exceptional adventure has become a popular alternative to the typical company outing. Safe and enjoyable, your sail will be the event everyone talks about for years. Your group will have the boat to yourselves. Kick back, and spend time together in a relaxed setting away from the office. There is a two-hour minimum for this private charter, though most companies choose to sail for three or four hours. A catered buffet can be served onboard while we sail. Beer, wine, rum punch and soft drinks are available.
Or, treat your group to a New England lobsterbake with clam chowder, cornbread, corn-on-the-cob, boiled red potatoes, and either baked chicken or boiled lobster, prepared by the Gloucester House Restaurant and served onboard as we anchor out in Gloucester harbor. We suggest scheduling at least a three-hour charter if you opt for the lobsterbake.
Maximum 49 People. $600/hour midweek during the day; $650/hr. midweek sunset; $750/hr. weekend.
Send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll make the planning a breeze.
Are you looking for somewhere completely different to exchange vows, celebrate your engagement, or commemorate your anniversary? How about an out of the ordinary location for a rehearsal dinner party? Want to get away with your sweetheart for a romantic evening? Give us a call and we’ll help you to organize a memorable sail. The Schooner Lannon will offer you an unforgettable experience. What could be more romantic than sailing the serene waters along Gloucester’s magnificent coastline while the sun sets in the background?
The Schooner Lannon will provide you with the place for a most memorable celebration. If you’re looking to plan a wedding, we can make planning it a breeze. From caterers to florists to photographers to organizing things onboard the schooner, we can help you put together a unique wedding. Since her launch in June of 1997, the Schooner Lannon has been the stage for engagement parties, rehearsal dinners, wedding ceremonies, post wedding brunches, anniversary celebrations and lots more. The Lannon provides a most unusual stage for your celebration.
Please note that for wedding functions, we require an extra 1/2 hr. charter time, to allow your caterer time to get set up. We suggest that you plan at least a 3 1/2 hr. charter for your wedding. You’ll be glad you did! When planning, please remember that the capacity of the Schooner Lannon is 49.
Our charter rates are as follows : $600/hr. midweek daytime, $650/hr. midweek sunset, and $750/hr. weekends and holidays, with a 2 1/2 hour minimum for weddings.
We are happy to report that we have had numerous engagements on the Lannon. In each case, it was a great surprise and they were happy to say yes! Keep it in mind: The Lannon is a very romantic place to pop the question.
Email us at [email protected] and we’ll talk about your special event.
There is something inherently calming about the water. People who have loved the ocean in life often ask to have their remains sprinkled at sea. A memorial celebration onboard the Schooner Lannon is a wonderfully calming site for your farewell.
The Schooner Lannon will provide a beautiful setting for the ash scattering and a quiet place to celebrate the life of your loved one.
We’ll raise the sails, then make our way out beyond Gloucester harbor. Listen to the wind as it fills the schooner’s sails. See lighthouses and castles as we head past the breakwater and out to the ocean. Once we are offshore, we’ll hove to so that the memorial service to honor the memory of your loved one can take place. Then family and friends can say their final good-byes as the remains and flowers are dispersed into the water. A final salute with our marine signaling device is available if you’d like. We can help arrange catered food and beverages.
The crew and staff of the Schooner Lannon understand the importance of a dignified burial at sea. We will help you in planning the perfect memorial service during this difficult time. The Lannon is U. S. Coast Guard certified to carry as many as 49 people. We will help you create warm memories of your loved one’s wishes of returning to Gloucester. Please plan on a three hour charter. Coast Guard regulations require that we are at least three miles offshore when we sprinkle the ashes.
Email us at [email protected] and we’ll help plan your memorial sail.
Part of the Lannon’s mission is to help spread the word of Gloucester’s place in history, to tell the story of Gloucester’s fishermen, those who braved it all to fish on the big Essex-built Gloucester fishing schooners. We are available to take school groups sailing in the fall and spring of each year. When you are planning your field trips, think of the Lannon. We are working with the Cape Ann Museum, Maritime Gloucester and the Essex Shipbuilding Museum to coordinate programs for students. A visit to any of these museums can be followed up with a sail on the Schooner Lannon to reinforce and expand upon our programs. Think of the Lannon as a floating classroom. There are numerous possibilities for programs involving math, science, history, language, etc. The Schooner is truly a way to make education come alive!
In the year 2000, we took all of Gloucester’s fifth grade classes for a sail on the Lannon. The students learned several sea chanteys and sang them while they hauled up the sails. They also learned about the navigation methods of a hundred years ago vs. today’s hi-tech methods. The students also learned about swordfishing, how the boat sails, as well as the names for many parts of the boat. Everyone got a chance to steer the boat and everyone enjoyed themselves. Several teachers told us that it was the best field trip they had been on. As a result of the positive reaction of the students and teachers, the Gloucester Superintendent of Schools decided to incorporate a trip on the Lannon into the fifth grade curriculum, so we’ve been taking each class of fifth graders for a sail ever since. We added units on fancy ropework and simple machines. We look forward to our time with the Gloucester fifth graders sailing each year.
We have also hosted a group of high school boys from New Jersey every May for the last 15 years. They love the Lannon!
Seeing Gloucester from the water gives students a whole new perspective of the city. The working waterfront, lighthouses, and castles are just some of the sights students will see on their sail. We can provide your class with a unique, safe and fun adventure that they will not soon forget. Yes, they will participate in hands-on learning. No, they won’t get seasick. Yes, they will have fun! Call us soon to talk about the best school field trip of the year.We would love to talk to you about what we do. Discounted school group sailing rates are available in May and June and again in September and October. Check with us for rates and availability of sailing dates.
Read on for an article in the local newspaper about our educational sails:
Native son Tom Ellis had a dream of sailing his own boat. The eldest of seven children, Ellis never set foot on a boat until he met friends in high school who had boats. Decades later, not only has his dream materialized, he is sharing that dream with children across the city as part of a special program focusing on Gloucester’s heritage.
Ellis never met his grandfather, Thomas Lannon, a Newfoundlander who arrived in Gloucester in 1901 and fished from the harbor for 43 years. But he named the schooner he finished building four years ago after his grandfather, who died three years before he was born. When Ellis’ plans to build a schooner were being developed, he talked to local school officials about the potential for its use in teaching children local history. He planted a seed then that sprouted into an even larger plan for school children years later.
A program designed by local educators takes the children on a voyage back in time. But it also propels them into the computer age as they see first-hand how the most modern navigation technology is put to use while sailing Gloucester Harbor. This month, all the city’s fifth-graders went on a two-hour sail aboard the Thomas E. Lannon. They also toured the historic schooner Adventure, where they learned about simple machines and the life of fishermen long ago. Next year, a third component will come together when the children visit the Cape Ann Historical Museum.
“As I started learning the majestic history of Gloucester, I made a commitment to myself that I would try to find ways to make sure the youngsters of the community had a dynamic introduction to their home history so they would be proud of where they came from, never forget it, and protect it and honor it,” Supt. Thomas Consolati said. After taking part in the program last week, he said he witnessed the students being excited about the ocean, natural sciences and developing pride in their community.
Last Friday, students and crew on the Lannon had to depend on modern electronic navigation equipment because they sailed out in a thick morning fog and every person on board was asked to be a lookout. “I saw just what I had hoped to see. It was hands-on learning and kids actually participated in the learning. They didn’t just sit there and listen,” said Consolati. “They got to sail, they sang chanties. On the Adventure, the props they had were very real. The kids were very engaged, every single one of them.”
About the time Ellis planned to build the vessel, educators at East Gloucester Elementary School were developing social studies lessons to meet the mandates of the state’s education reform law. “We wanted to integrate some of the history of Gloucester and we didn’t want it to stand alone but be integral part of the lesson,” said East Gloucester Principal Miffy Somers. So when Ellis approached the schools offering his vessel for student learning, “it was a perfect match for what we wanted to do,” said Somers.
The Lannon is a 65-foot replica of a 1903 schooner called the Nikomus. The boat was six and a half months in the making, designed by Harold Burnham, an 11th-generation boat builder from Essex.
Each of the school district’s fifth-grade classes went on board the Lannon over the course of two weeks. After Ellis went over safety information, the children were divided into three groups. One group went to the helm where each student had a chance to steer and get a sense of the energy of the wind. “I learned that driving a schooner is a lot harder than driving my go-cart,” said Adam Quinn, a West Parish fifth-grader.
In another station, the children went below deck for a technical talk, in which Ellis showed them the radar and how a laptop computer can be used to show exactly where the vessel is at sea at any time. Ellis explained to the children that learning math is still important in spite of the technology. If, for some reason, the electronics or computers cease to function, one has to do the math and calculations to find the way back to shore. Ellis also talked to the students about swordfishing, past and present.
At another station, Michael O’Leary talked to the children about the history of sea chanties and how they were used to help the men work on board, particularly in raising the sails. He worked with them to create verses to sing as they pumped out the bilges. Ellis noted that O’Leary’s vocal work with students indeed helped the youngsters take part in the work on board. “Before we had him helping with the songs, we couldn’t get the kids to raise the sails by themselves. But by hauling the sails to the rhythm of the songs and by working together, they really see first hand how the songs helped the sailors do their work,” said Ellis.
Raising the sails was no easy feat because they were large and heavy. But the students felt a sense of accomplishment when they were finished, said Somers. “They were active participants from the time they left the dock to the time they returned.” After the sails were lowered as the Lannon returned to dock, the fifth-graders sang their own version of a sea chanty pertinent to their experience, which they created on the sail.
Consolati noted that many of the students already had connections to the sea and fishing through their families. But for many, that legacy became vivid aboard the vessels. “For some, this was the first time they saw their city from the water,” he said. Like Consolati, Ellis knows the importance of programs on board boats. “It’s such a great classroom,” he said. “It’s a floating reality that offers a real learning experience.”
Fifth-grader Jillian Swett said she learned more about fishing and sailing after this program, than what she had studied in school, by being on board both vessels. “It’s more fun to be actually doing something than just hearing about it,” agreed classmate Samantha Davis.
When Ellis was putting together his business plan to build his boat, he talked to school officials about offering an education component for students. “This was so kids in Gloucester could see what it was like to go out on these boats that their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents went out on,” he said. “The more we can expose the kids to their background and their history the better. I’m interested in keeping the memory of our fishing heritage alive and getting the kids excited about sailing and learning about their history.”
Gail McCarthy, Gloucester Daily Times
To view photos of our sails, please see Our Gallery Page
