28TH ANNUAL ANTIQUE & CLASSIC BOAT FESTIVAL

PRESS RELEASE (August 4, 2010)

CONTACT:
Pat Wells, 617-666-8530
Ann Campbell, 617-868-7587

PHOTOS available upon request: campbellag@verizon.net

PEOPLE TO INTERVIEW:
Pat at 617-666-8530 or patwells@earthlink.net

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AHOY!
28TH ANNUAL ANTIQUE & CLASSIC BOAT FESTIVAL

Date: August 28-29, 2010
(Sat. 11 am - 5 pm; Sun. 11 am - 3 pm)

Place:
Hawthorne Cove Marina
10 White St.
Salem, Massachusetts

Admission: $5. Children under 12 free

Info & Boat Entry:
617-666-8530,
617-868-7587
www.boatfestival.org

VINTAGE FLEET SAILS INTO SALEM HARBOR!

It¹s a glorious sight, equal in its own way to the "Tall Ships." A great variety of eye-catching vintage sailboats and motor yachts will be on view at Hawthorne Cove Marina in Salem, Massachusetts over the August 28-29 weekend. These rare, beautiful craft of yesteryear include the celebrated sloop GANDALF which vanquished pirates in the Gulf of Aden; an elegant 1926 award-winning cabin cruiser; a 1890s design Oyster Sharpie; a Thai style houseboat, and a 1940s runabout and woodie station wagon ensemble, among many others!

A special treat is getting to board the boats. Many proud owners give the public a personal tour of their vessel, regaling visitors with fascinating tales of voyages, how they acquired their boat, and the joys and woes of restoring her. Festival Coordinator, Pat Wells, says," although many of these craft are museum quality, they are real boats, in the water, and in use by their owners today."

This is the 28th year of the Festival and the 10th year in Salem, Massachusetts. Having been held in downtown Boston, Charlestown and Quincy, Massachusetts, the Festival has made Salem its home base for the past decade. According to Wells, this has been fortuitous. " Russ Vickers and his competent staff at Hawthorne have been tops and made the event feel welcome. The compact venue is especially attractive as the boats can be docked all together on a commodious pier. One doesn't have to walk far. It's magical strolling amongst the wooden masts and elegant varnished hulls. One feels transported to a another more aesthetic, gracious era."

Joseph Panzner of Salem has made it a tradition to take his father-in-law, William Genet of Marblehead, to the Festival as a Father's Day present. "It's a wonderful event! We go every year. We're so lucky it's right in our back yard." Festival-goer Alice Bonney of Beverly who is 90! looks forward to the Festival as well. She is a fan of the sailboat TEASER which she saw launched in Salem in 1935! Wells says the Festival sees visitors from all over. "We even had someone who wanted to come from Australia!"

Ralph Stanley, Maine's dean of wooden boat building, will be present at the Festival to receive this year's Edgar B. Caffrey Award for his exceptional contribution to the preservation and appreciation of maritime heritage ­ which, of course, is what this event is all about.

Although the boats are the stars of the show, other Festival highlights include the crafts market, children¹s activities, the Blessing of the Fleet and Parade of Boats where the public gets to see the grand old craft in motion and hear them announced at the end of Derby Wharf. This takes place Sunday at 3:15 PM. Traditional music will be performed live on the marina deck throughout the weekend.

THE BOATS! Expected among many others are:

BREEZE, a 1946 Hinckley sloop. Owned by Neil Chayet (Salem MA) of radio's Looking at the Law fame, she may be the oldest Hinckley on the East Coast. She sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco for about 25 years before Neil found her and restored her.

GANDALT, a 47' steel hulled Franz Maas designed sloop built in Holland in 1960. She heroically did battle and vanquished pirates in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen in 2005. Owner Jay Barry of Gloucester, Massachusetts has quite a dramatic tale to spin about this incident!

CHAUTAUQUA, a handsome 1926 cabin cruiser owned by Linwood and Gail Cross of South Portland, Maine. An award-winning vessel, she was built by the George Lawley & Sons Yard in Boston, famous for building many America¹s Cup contenders.

LET'S GO, a 1955 MacKenzie Bass Boat owned by Chris Ward of Marshfield, Massachusetts. LET'S GO and her family are a Festival favorite. She is being featured on the Festival burgee this year.

ROSEBUD, a 1964 catboat owned by Jim and Lyn Grenier of Salisbury, Massachusetts. She was designed by Marblehead¹s own Fenwick Williams who claimed this 21' Cape Cod catboat as his favorite design. Exquisitely restored by the Greniers, she won "Best Sailboat" at the 2009 Festival. Jim has another role at the show; his band Stellwagen will perform Saturday at 4 PM, and he may be heard strumming in ROSEBUD¹S cockpit during the weekend.

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Pat Wells
Antique & Classic Boat Festival
16 Preston Road
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 666-8530, patwells@earthlink.net

PRESS RELEASE 5/7/10

CONTACT:
Pat Wells, 617-666-8530
Ann Campbell, 617-868-7587

PHOTOS available upon request: campbellag@verizon.net

PEOPLE TO INTERVIEW:
Pat at 617-666-8530 or patwells@earthlink.net

************************************

AHOY!
28TH ANNUAL ANTIQUE & CLASSIC BOAT FESTIVAL

Date: August 28-29, 2010
(Sat. 11 am - 5 pm; Sun. 11 am - 3 pm)

Place:
Hawthorne Cove Marina
10 White St.
Salem, Massachusetts

Admission: $5. Children under 12 free

Info & Boat Entry:
617-666-8530,
617-868-7587
www.boatfestival.org

The 28th Annual Antique & Classic Boat Festival is happening in Salem, Massachusetts August 28-29. Festival coordinator, Pat Wells, says, "It¹s too early to know which boats are officially coming, but it¹s looking good!" According to her, expected craft as of early May include: JUNIATA, a 1927 New York Consolidated commuter; CATHERINE ANN, a 1938 Richardson cabin cruiser; BREEZE, a 1946 Hinkley sloop; a 26¹ steamboat; a 1940 Lyman runabout towed by a 1948 Pontiac woody, and TABBY, a 1946 Fenwick Williams catboat. The Festival includes boats built prior to 1976. They can be power, sail or hand-powered, and don¹t need to be in show condition. "The spirit of the Festival is to gather together the grand old craft and all who love them," says Wells.

The Festival is about people as well as boats. "Over and over again, the public tells us that what they like best is seeing the beautiful old boats and talking to their owners," says Wells. "Boat owners sometimes meet old-timers who have known their boat in the past and can recount stories and history. One year, MATCHLESS, a 100 year old catboat owned by Peter Haney of Bourne (MA), was visited by a former owner who had her in the 1950s. TEASER, a 1935 sailboat owned by Dana Marcorelle of South Hamilton (MA), was visited by Alice Bonney who saw her launched in Salem in 1935 and spent her honeymoon aboard her!"

Having been held in downtown Boston, Charlestown and Quincy, Massachusetts, the Festival has made Salem its home base for the past decade. According to Wells, this has proved a popular location. "Festival-goers like being in the heart of Salem¹s historic district with its many attractions. They like the attractive Hawthorne Cove Marina and the fact that the venue is nice and compact. One doesn¹t have to walk far to see the boats. They are docked all together on a single commodious pier. It¹s magical strolling amongst the wooden masts and elegant varnished hulls. One feels transported to a more aesthetic, gracious era."

The Festival is more than boats. It includes a crafts market, old-time band music, children¹s activities, the Blessing of the Fleet and the grand finale ­ the Parade of Boats.

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The Antique & Classic Boat Festival is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit
organization.


Pat Wells
Antique & Classic Boat Festival