Four High School Children Chosen for Second Annual Educational Voyage to Hawaii

NEWPORT BEACH, CA (June 2003) -- Three high school students from California and one from Kaneohe, Hawaii have been chosen by the Defense of Freedom Foundation to participate in the second annual sail training voyage aboard the 122-foot American Privateer Schooner LYNX, scheduled to sail on Tuesday, June 17, at 3:00 P.M. from the Harbor Island fuel dock, in San Diego.

The LYNX, operated by the Defense of Freedom Foundation, is an educational vessel that teaches students what it was like to serve aboard an authentic American Privateer during the War of 1812. Students live and train under conditions very similar to those encountered by sailors of the early 19th century. The students participate fully in all aspects of the educational voyage including sail training, celestial navigation, sea science studies and American history, as it pertains to America’s first defense of freedom.

“Sailing to Hawaii aboard the LYNX as working crew will be a life-altering experience for these students. At the completion of this voyage they will have gained valuable knowledge and self-assurance that only adventure, challenge and total commitment can provide. No person can bestow these benefits, they must be earned.” Capt. Rick Barbarossa, Director of Operations, Defense of Freedom Foundation.

The following students were specifically chosen for the challenging adventure awaiting them:

• Michael Baker, 17, a junior from Brea Olinda High School, Brea, CA.
• Christian Emsiek, 16, a freshman from Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, CA.
• Christopher Woods, 17, a junior from Red Wood High School, Larkspur, CA.
• Gabrielle DeHeart, 14, home schooled through A Beka, Kaneohe, HI. (Ms. DeHeart will be flying to California from Hawaii to board the vessel for the sail home.)

Upon their arrival in the Hawaiian Islands, the students' first landfall will be the big island of Hawaii. The ship will berth in Kawaihae on the Kona Coast and the students will disembark for four days of exploring the island. They will experience the active volcano Kilauea and the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; drive to the top of 13,784' Mauna Kea to tour the Keck Observatory there; and visit many historic sites including the City of Refuge in South Kona.

After the students complete their exploration of the Hawaiian Islands, the LYNX, a vessel of Portsmouth, New Hampshire registry, will depart for the Pacific Northwest and begin working its way back to a berth at the Sea Base in Newport Beach, California. The LYNX will arrive in early October, in time to participate in the Long Beach, Shoreline Festival.

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