GLOUCESTER SCHOONER FESTIVAL
CELEBRATES 23rd ANNIVERSARY
Excitement Heightens as Fleet Grows!

High resolution media images are available on-line for download at: www.capeannvacations.com/schooner/mediaimages.

The Twenty-third Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival will take place on Labor Day weekend, September 1-2, 2007. It’s Gloucester’s major marine event, with participating vessels coming from ports along the Eastern Seaboard. There will be both large and small vessels’ranging from 19 feet to over 125 feet in length. You will see new boats and old boats, from newly built to over 100 years old! The flagships from Virginia and Maryland’Virginia and Pride of Baltimore II have confirmed their participation, along with Gloucester’s Thomas E. Lannon, Rockport’s Appledore III, Salem’s Fame, the 114 year old Lettie G. Howard, and many more! The American Eagle, from Rockland, Maine, will return to defend her Championship status, having won every Mayor’s Race since 2003. Salem’s Friendship will also join in the festivities, as will the U.S. Navy, which regularly sends a vessel to this incredible Festival.

The Mayor’s Race is the major event of every Schooner Festival and will take place this year on Sunday, September 2, with over a dozen large schooners expected to compete for the Esperanto Cup. Racing starts on Saturday afternoon with seven classes of traditional small craft, consisting of approximately 50 vessels from 19 to 45 feet long.

If boats are your big passion, then the Schooner Festival is for you! However, there are plenty of shoreside events too. In addition to Gloucester’s many year-round attractions, such as art exhibits, beaches, fishing, museums, seafood restaurants, historical sites, and whale watching, the Schooner Festival weekend includes entertainment for all types of interests. On Saturday, this includes Gloucester Maritime Heritage Day, dory races, the lighted boat parade, and a gala fireworks display over Gloucester Harbor. Sunday morning, a grand Parade of Sail passes the Boulevard promenade (Stacy Boulevard, Route 127) as the large schooners head out to sea for the Mayor’s Race.

The Festival is planned and organized by the Gloucester Schooner Festival Committee, composed of representatives of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and the City of Gloucester. Further information can be obtained by calling 978-283-1601. For a full schedule of events, go to www.capeannvacations.com/schooner.

Thank you to our corporate sponsor Dunkin’ Donuts.