Gloucester Schooner Festival
What is the Gloucester Schooner Festival? We look forward to an exciting 29th Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival on Saturday and Sunday, August 31st and September 1st, 2013. We hear that the new Bluenose II will be here for the festivities. See you then! The Gloucester Schooner Festival celebrates the strong connection of schooners to the history of Gloucester. For two days over Labor Day weekend, Gloucester hosts as many as 20 of these magnificent vessels. Lots of schooner masts fill the harbor and remind us of what Gloucester used to be. What a sight! There is a weekend full of maritime activities. The events culminate in Sunday's Mayor's Race for the Esperanto Cup, a trophy from the first International Fishermen's Races sailed in 1920. On Saturday night you won't want to miss the Lighted Boat Parade and FIREWORKS over the harbor. We offer a sail to view the fireworks, leaving at 8:00 p.m. Saturday night. We go for a short sail, then serve a dessert buffet just before we get into position off Stage Fort Park. You'll have a front row seat for viewing the fireworks over the water. FABULOUS! Tickets are $50/person for this spectacle. This sail always sells out, so call us at 978 281-6634 soon for your reservations.
A sail, dessert and fireworks, what could be better?
And Sunday is the Schooner Race. Sunday begins with the Parade of Sail at 10:30 a.m. All participating and visiting schooners raise their sails and strut their stuff past Stacy Boulevard. Daisy Nell, chair of the Schooner Festival Committee, will be stationed on the Boulevard announcing each vessel as she sails by. In 2009 a fireboat spraying streams of water added to the festivities.
The fireboat and the Lannon in 2009. (David Cox photo) We take passengers for the Schooner Race on Sunday. Here's the deal: Passengers will board the Lannon at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning, while Captain Tom and captain Heath are at the Captains meeting getting the course for the race and any other final details. We leave the dock by 10:00 a.m. The Parade of Sail begins near Cape Pond Ice Co. at 10:30 a.m. The Lannon has the honor of leading the Parade of Sail. All the schooners get their sails up and cruise by Stacy Boulevard for Daisy Nell's introductions. Of course, a little cannon firing is in order to salute the spectators who have gathered to watch the show! Have your camera ready. You won't want to miss a great shot.
Spectators line Stacy Boulevard near the Man at the Wheel for a view of the Parade of Sail. (David Cox photo)
The Parade then heads out through the outer harbor and past the Breakwater. The starting line is usually located just outside Dogbar Breakwater, off Eastern Point. The jockeying for position and strategizing for the start makes for an interesting time until the race begins, this year at 1:00 p.m. The Large and Medium Classes of Schooners start together (The Lannon is in the Medium Schooner class). The Small Schooners start a short time later. The rest of the day is spent trying to win the race. The crew is constantly adjusting sail, trying to tweak just a little more speed from the sail trim. The course might be north toward Rockport and back, or south toward Magnolia and Manchester. Weather conditions are different each year, so there is no way to plan for how things will turn out. But whether there is plenty of wind or no wind at all, it's still a lot of fun to witness first hand. If you plan to join us: Bring your lunch, binoculars, camera, and a bag with layers of clothing. A hat, sunblock, polar fleece and a windbreaker are good to include. Because of our license, no carry-on liquor is allowed. But we do have beer, wine and champagne available for sale. Soft drinks, bottled water and snacks are on us. You will be on the boat until the race is over, generally around 5:00 p.m., depending on the wind, so plan accordingly. If you think you will need an anti-nausea drug, we suggest you take bonine one-half hour before boarding. (Dramamine will make you sleepy and you won't want to miss anything!). Bring a friend or come alone and make some new friends. Each year we welcome new faces and old friends. Some are onboard to take pictures of the action, others are onboard to just watch the excitement. Some want to help out, others want to relax and watch. Whichever you prefer, we would love to have you join us. The cost is $195/person for the day. Space is limited, so don't miss out. It is sure to be an amazing day. Call us at (978) 281-6634 and reserve your spot soon!
The Pride of Baltimore II sends a cannon salute. (David Cox photo) The Lannon and the Bald Eagle in 2012 (Len Burgess photo) The Schooner Festival Committee has regrouped this year. They have launched a new website, http://www.gloucesterschoonerfestival.net. There you will find a listing of the events as they are added to the schedule for the weekend. 2011: After the Parade of Sail we made our way over to Black Bess, Joe Garland's home on Eastern Point. After a countdown, all the schooners fired their cannons in salute to Joe, who had passed away the week before. Joe was Gloucester's foremost historian and was a big part of Schooner Festival. A somber moment. He will be missed. Even though we are always hoping for more wind, a sunny day with a light breeze is always a good sign. It was an exciting race from the start right up to the close finish (See times listed below). Harold Burnham's latest, the Schooner Ardelle got her certificate of inspection just in time for Race Day. Here she is (below) with Fame, who came from Salem for the Parade. It is always great to see Gloucester Harbor full of sails and this year did not disappoint.
Alabama coming at us. The Race really gives you that chance for the "up close and personal."
And Roseway, looking mighty fine, on our port side.
After the Race was over, local musician Fly Amero entertained us with a few songs on our way back home. What a treat!
A close start in 2012, with Spirit of Massachusetts and Summerwind just behind us on our port side. It was a day of light wind and tight turns.
28th Annual Gloucester Schooner FestivalMAYOR'S RACE OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS 1st ~ American
Eagle, John Foss, 3:20:45
3rd~Thomas E. Lannon, Tom Ellis DNF~ Ardelle, Harold Burnham
Class #9 - Small Schooners / Ramsey Trophy
(Shortened course) 2nd~ Estrela, Bruce Davies, 2:37:15 3rd ~ Bald Eagle, Paul Cole, Judith Nast, 2:49:25 DNF ~ Sugar Babe, Lewis Story
The Bounty spent a few days in Gloucester and was open for deck tours.
Tragically, she sank in October. 27th Annual Gloucester Schooner FestivalMAYOR'S RACE OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS 1st ~ Spirit of
Bermuda, Simon Colley, 1:24:13
3rd~Dove II, Michael Taber, 1:40:30 4th ~ Ardelle, Harold Burnham, 1:49:36
Class #9 - Small Schooners / Ramsey Trophy 2nd~ Estrela, Bruce Davies, 1:52:10 3rd ~ Bald Eagle, Paul Cole, Judith Nast, 2:08:35 4th ~ Sugar Babe, Ed Boynton, 2:12:45
5th ~ Lewis H. Story, Bob Quadros, 2:18:15 In 2010: The Lannon proudly participated in the 26th Annual Gloucester Festival on September 5th, 2010. The field was smaller this year, limited by the threat of Hurricane Earl, which kept several of the entrants in their homeports. We had a great day onboard the Lannon. Our passengers had a wonderful time and got some fabulous upclose shots of the participating schooners.
Heath, Brian, Kay & Tom onboard on Race Day, 2010. Photo by Jean Grobe. Thanks, Jean! The 25th Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival took place over Labor Day Weekend in 2009. It was a perfect weather weekend. Sunny and breezy enough to get those big vessels moving on Sunday. A collision between Spirit of Bermuda and Perception at the start of the race was not an easy thing to watch. Luckily, no one was injured and the damage to Perception (the little guy always seems to come out the worst) is repairable. There were some other close calls (one tight turn saw Roseway closing in fast on our stern), and lots of exciting mail passes over the 15 mile course. The race for the Esperanto Cup saw American Eagle and Virginia battling for first the entire three laps, with Pride of Baltimore breathing heavily on their sterns the whole way. All are previous winners of this race and hoping to repeat their winning ways. John Foss and his American Eagle (from Rockland, Maine) held off a valiant effort by Andy Reay-Ellers and Virginia and crossed the finish line a mere 34 seconds ahead to win the cup for a record eighth time. On a fifteen mile course, this was an amazing battle and the Pride of Baltimore was a close third, just 18 seconds behind Virginia. Our passengers got to see the battle close up. Very exciting! Although we had an excellent start, Metani and Adventurer proved to be faster than the Lannon this day. But a third place finish in our class is not bad and we know we had more fun than everyone else! As he was getting off the Lannon at the end of the day, one of our passengers told Tom that "this was the most fun I've ever had in my whole life." Nephews Nick Ellis, Joe Ellis, and Craig Bonaventura were again crew. Our son Heath ran the deck and son Brian did an excellent job as tactician, getting us over the line for a great start and getting us right on the money to each mark. It was a great day on the water. The Lannon participated in the 24th Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival over Labor Day Weekend, 2008 (and WON our class!). Everyone involved agreed that this was the best Schooner Festival yet. The breeze was strong and from the northwest, which made for calm seas and great sailing. The heavy air favored the big vessels and what a magnificent sight it was! There were lots of big schooners here for the weekend: The Schooners Virginia, American Eagle, Alabama, Lettie G. Howard, Roseway, Westward and Liberty Clipper, all came to race. The Schooner Bluenose came from Lunenberg, Nova Scotia to participate in the festivities, though not in the race. The Parade of Sail went off without a hitch on Sunday morning. And the fireworks Saturday night were exceptional. Warm weather all weekend made for a delightful end to summer.
And what better way to see these vessels in action than to join us on Race Day as we race for the Cameron Cup!
Don't worry, we won't ask you to go aloft. Here, Heath has a bird's eye view of the action.
Schooner Roseway seen through the Lannon's rigging. 2008: This year we woke to sunshine, a nice breeze from the northwest and a forecast of 15-20, a perfect schooner day. Even before the race started, the schooner crews were anticipating a great race. A couple of minutes before the race began, we were doing a mail pass with Liberty Clipper when we heard a loud noise that sounded like cannon fire. Unfortunately, it was the Clipper's foretopmast that had snapped. It came crashing down, hit their starboard rail and splashed into the water. Luckily, no one was hurt. But, what a scare! The Liberty crew was able to secure the rigging and completed the race. Here they are below on their way in.
Liberty Clipper, at race's end in 2008, with her clipped foretopmast. The race began at 11:10 a.m. with American Eagle and the Lannon both nailing the start, just off the breakwater. The course was three laps down toward the LNG platform and back. Passing all those big schooners under sail is always a thrill for our passengers. But seeing them moving at such great speed was something special. The excitement of making tight turns at the marks and then accelerating again was great fun. The wind on Sunday did indeed favor the bigger boats and there were great battles going on all around us. Our crew did a fabulous job and we were the winners in our class. We love having both our sons, Heath and Brian, as well as our nephews, Nick Ellis, Dylan Ellis, and Craig Bonaventura onboard. All have worked on the boat for at least a summer and love to come back to sail with us on Race Day. Also, thanks to our tactician, Jack Alexander who adds a lot of racing experience to the mix.
The Lannon passing the Virginia, taken by Renata Greene on the Lettie G. Howard, 8/31/08 After the Race, we sailed out to see the Bluenose II, (see photo below), whose crew was enjoying the race from a distance. Our passengers were delighted to see her tearing through the water under sail. We sailed back into the harbor next to her. The Lannon (65 ft.) is dwarfed by the Bluenose (144 ft.), but we love watching her. Capt. Tom was awarded the Ned Cameron Cup at the awards ceremony that evening for winning our class.
Schooner Bluenose II looking good! Other years: In 2007, there was virtually no wind at the start of the race. We sat at the starting line fighting the tide for more than an hour. Finally the breeze came up and we were able to make some headway. There were several schooners who were not positioned as well and weren't able to make it over the starting line for three hours. Light air favors the smaller boats, and we were able to beat all the traditional vessels this year. There were three lighter boats in our class who finished well ahead of the pack. (Race results are below). It is always an awesome sight to see these magnificent schooners under full sail! Our passengers were not disappointed. In 2006, we were a little overanxious and then had to stall coming up to the start. The close proximity of the other schooners made for a very exciting start. We were battling with Liberty Clipper, Roseway and the Spirit of Massachusetts for the first couple of legs. At one point we were practically eating Roseway's main boom and could definitely have passed the grey poupon to them! After a couple of legs, and some fancy sail handling, we were able to get in front of most of the traditional boats. After the race, we sailed out to join Bluenose. Sailing back next to her under full sail was such a thrill for our passengers. I'm sure none of them will forget it. 2005's was a very exciting race, as we nailed the start and lead the pack around the first mark...around the second mark...around the third mark and heading to the finish line. Oh no, here comes Adventurer on our outside trying to sail past and steal our wind. We fought a valiant race, but were edged out by Adventurer by a mere 13 seconds! Our passengers include photographers, artists, visitors and locals who just love being part of the event. Some help the crew and actually handle lines as we race, while others choose to socialize, watch the action or just relax. Many make their reservations for the next year before they get off the boat on Race Day. So think about joining us on Labor Day Sunday for a day of fun. Bring your lunch, binoculars, camera, and a bag with layers of clothing. A hat, sunblock, polar fleece and a windbreaker are good to include. Because of our license, no carry-on liquor is allowed. But we do have beer, wine and champagne available for sale. Soft drinks, bottled water and snacks are on us. You will be on the boat until the race is over, generally until between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m., depending on the wind. The cost is $175/person for the day. Space is limited, so don't miss out. It is sure to be an amazing day. Call us and reserve your spot soon! Here's a comment from one of our 2008 passengers:
"Today was one of the most thrilling
and fun experiences I've ever had!!! Guess I really have got
sailing in my blood!! Each trip on the Lannon just gets better
and that was simply the BEST!! Congratulations to you and your
amazing family for winning the race - I learned so much listening to
all the guys plotting and planning. I hope you got a nice big
trophy and had a few well deserved beers!!
Please
save me a space for next year! I'm going to make it an annual
event and keep taking sailing with Manchester Sailing assoc. in
between so I can get really good at this! I'm hooked."-AnneMarie
Martins
Call us at (978) 281-6634 for reservations for Race Day.
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Around the first mark, 2012. Our passengers get up close
and personal with the other schooners (Summerwind, American Eagle and
Perception).
