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Captain Lane Briggs, one of the great advocates of schooner sailing, passed on September 19th, 2005. Capt. Briggs founded the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race for the purpose of keeping schooner sailing alive on his beloved Chesapeake Bay. His year of passing was coincidental with the year that schooner Virginia was commissioned into her first year of service as the Goodwill Ambassador from the Commonwealth and as a youth sail training vessel.
Captain Lane Allen Briggs is still a great icon of the Norfolk waterfront. He was instrumental in the modern rebirth of Norfolk making it a "Harbor of Hospitality". He was one of a handful of visionaries who, decades ago, took a blighted urban wasteland and made it a haven for visiting sailors. When downtown Norfolk had seventeen acres of gravel parking lots, Capt. Briggs was nurturing such entities as Nautical Adventures, The Norfolk School of Boatbuilding, Harborfest, Festevents, the Hampton Roads Navy, Sail Assist International Liaison Associates, Norfolk School of Fisheries and Seamanship, and Town Point Yacht Club. Capt. Briggs was content to work behind the scenes and never sought celebrity or recognition for his many good works, but was willing to take the spotlight when a worthy cause would benefit.
 Captain Briggs was best known as master of the Norfolk Rebel, a sail-assisted tug he built and launched in the early eighties at the height of the oil crisis as a way of using wind power to conserve fuel. The inventive schooner-rigged Norfolk Rebel engaged in towing, fishing, and salvage, and even carried cargo. Capt. Briggs coined the term "Tugantine” to describe his unique hybrid creation. His nickname "the red-headed rebel" captured his look and the roguish charm that marked his company, Rebel Marine Service. Captain Briggs became widely revered in the world of schooners and tall ships and was easily recognized by his huge white muttonchops, his booming North Carolina drawl, his shiny golden earring, and his well-weathered appearance. For more information on the
Captain Briggs was the first of three generations of captains. As a teenager, he left the mountains of North Carolina and discovered the sea, where he worked his way to captain. He led his four sons and his grandchildren, along with many other children, to do the same. Young people were drawn by his passion, commitment to seamanship, leadership, big heart, humor and genuine charisma. Being soft-hearted and generous almost to a fault, he reached out to youth in trouble, and trained many young men and women for marine industry careers. They found a father-figure in this loving and gentle curmudgeonly pirate of Willoughby Spit. Capt. Briggs was always an innovator, and always a forward-thinker; he wanted to spread the love of sailing. In 2001, Captain Briggs received the coveted American Sail Training Association Lifetime Achievement Award for his enriching contributions.
His sons, Captain Jesse Briggs, Captain Terry Briggs, Captain David Briggs, Captain Steven Briggs, and grandson, Captain Chessie Briggs, along with the entire Briggs family, have created the Captain Lane Briggs Sail Training Fund to continue his contributions to future generations.
SAIL TRAINING SCHOLARSHIPS WILL KEEP LANE'S LEGACY ALIVE
 Tugantine - Home Page
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