Amanda Ridgely Lake, who lived on Chappaquiddick for many years, died at her home in Fairhaven on August 19. She was 44 and was the daughter of the late Rev. Benjamin J. Lake of Cazenovia, N.Y., and the Island, and the late Cynthia Lake Woodger and stepdaughter of Bruce Woodger, both of Princeton, N.J., and the Island.

Ms. Lake grew up in Cazenovia, N.Y., where her father was minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Cazenovia for nearly two decades. She attended Princeton Day School, graduated from the Oldfields School, Sterling College, Hamilton College and the Great Books master’s program at St. John’s College.  While at Hamilton, Ms. Lake served as president of the 125-year-old Emerson Literary Society.

Despite her interest in literature and talent in creative writing, her true love was the sea. Undaunted by maritime challenge, she became part of the first crew to circumnavigate Greenland bysailboat. Over the years she enjoyed many adventures on the 50-foot cutter Brendan’s Isle, including circumnavigating Newfoundland and Labrador, exploring the navigable waters of the Arctic Circle and sailing from Annapolis to Iceland. An accomplished sailor of all-sized ships, Ms. Lake served as chief mate and in various other positions aboard the Massachusetts tall shipErnestina. After age and funding cuts forced the 115-year-old schooner dockside in 2003, she joined the crew of Pete Seeger’s Hudson Sloop, Clearwater.

Ms. Lake was only one of a handful of women to ever earn a 100-ton Near Coast Master’s License, allowing her to pilot large vessels in and out of commercial ports. At the time of her death, she taught classes on advanced ship-handling and maritime safety at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy to help others achieve similar licenses.

She began her career on the water at an early age, skippering tourists and residents between Edgartown and Chappaquiddick on various On-Times. She later joined the crew of the R/V Regina Maris, a wooden barkentine, studying humpback whales in the Caribbean and North Atlantic.

While on land, Ms. Lake served as internship program coordinator for the National Audubon Society during the 1980s and 1990s and helped develop an award-winning educational Web site for PBS.

As a young girl, Ms. Lake was the envy of her peers for having what she declared to be “the largest collection of [Charles M. Schultz] Snoopies” in the world. As an adult, she delighted and supported her peers with her unfailing — and often wicked — sense of humor and tireless volunteering. If a project needed finishing or a person needed help, anywhere in the country, Ms. Lake would be first to lend a hand.

Ms. Lake is survived by her brother, Whitney Burr Lake, of Ennis, Mont.; her stepfather Bruce Woodger, of Princeton, N.J.; her niece and nephew, Samantha and Nicholas Lake of Ennis, Mont.; her aunt, Sheila B. Tucker of Vero Beach, Fla. (formerly of Princeton); her cousin once removed, Edith S. Bouriez of New York city and Nantucket; various first cousins; many friends, and two godsons, Jacob Schramm of Washington, D.C. and Skiddy Payson of Fairhope, Ala.

A memorial service will be held for Ms. Lake on the deck of the schooner Ernestina on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. in New Bedford. A funeral service at Trinity Episcopal Church in Princeton will follow on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Schooner Ernestina Commission Trust, P.O. Box 2010, New Bedford, MA 02741-2010.