The Sea Lion is no more.

The ship has been decommissioned and scrapped after years of work to try to turn the historic sailing ship into a museum at the Henricus Historical Park in Virginia. COVID-19 delayed fundraising for the project and, unfortunately, finished the job that Lake Erie started. There wasn’t enough of the ship left to proceed with a restoration.

The news brings more than a touch of sadness for those who lived through the Sea Lion’s story.

Some 40 years ago, most south county residents knew of the Sea Lion. They’d drive by its berth on Sea Lion Drive in Mayville to see Ernie Cowan’s progress building the ship. Curious onlookers found their way to the shores of Chautauqua Lake when the ship set sail on Chautauqua Lake. At the time, there was nothing else like it on Chautauqua Lake. There was more than a little sadness when the Sea Lion was taken to Buffalo. There was heartbreak when it sank in Lake Erie. There was pride when a team led by local diver Ted Genco raised the ship.

Trust us, you had to be there.

Those who were there knew they would likely never see the ship again even if the planned restoration had happened. The ship was taken to a shipyard in Albany after it sat in Barcelona for years. After years of sitting, the project was scrapped. We always knew the Sea Lion would never again grace the shores of Chautauqua Lake. But there was always be a hope held by those who saw her sail on Chautauqua Lake that a restoration would be completed and a fitting use for Erne Cowan’s vision to be found.

That never happened.

Some people will hear the Sea Lion’s story and think the whole project was a waste of time, talent, resources and money. That’s not the case for those who were there. Maybe it was innocence. Maybe it was naivete. But the Sea Lion was fun. And for a time in southern Chautauqua County it was the talk of the town.

We’re sad to see it come to such an inglorious end.