Openings for Youth Aged 13 to 21
25th Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival
Mayor’s Cup Race on Sunday September 6
Sail Training Opportunity Announcement: Cape Ann’s Youth are Invited to Apply
In celebration of the 25th Mayor’s Cup Race, the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and Sail Gloucester are offering spots for youth aged 13 to 21 aboard participating schooners. Sail training spots are available on a first come, first serve basis in response to this invitation. In 2009, SailGloucester, an initiative organized from the City of Gloucester’s Mayors Office, is supporting the 25th Annual Gloucester Schooner festival, organized by the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, in a joint mission with local sailing and maritime organizations to ensure the sail training spots are available to Gloucester and Cape Ann youth. Volunteers from SailGloucester will be coordinating the Youth Sail Training program as well as being visible with information desks or kits at information distribution points during the 25th Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival.
With limited spaces available aboard the vessels, and as time is of the essence, please ensure that this invitation and information is circulated to your organization’s leadership for sail training programs in order that your eligible young people are invited to your membership with a request that all interested youth reply to this email as soon as possible, and no later than September 1, 2009.
Email Subject Line: Sail Training Spot Applicant for the 25th Annual Gloucester Schooner Race
Please include in your written response to participate as well as:
‘ Name of Parent(s) / Guardians
‘ Name and Age of Applying Participant(s)
‘ Full Address Information (Street, City, Zip)
‘ Email Contact
‘ Phone Contact
‘ Emergency Contacts for September 6, 2009
Preliminary Information about Applicant Participation
Participants will be assigned to each of the participating vessels on ‘first come’ basis. Applicants should be prepared for a full day of involvement out on the water. Participants will need sunscreen, hat, water, sack lunch etc. and layered clothing for the changing conditions throughout the day.
Selected participants will report at 08:00 a.m. to where they will participate in the “Skippers Meeting’ at the Solomon Jacobs Park, immediately adjacent to the U.S Coast Guard Station, Harbor Loop, Gloucester where participants will be assigned a schooner and get underway to join this year’s Parade of Sail and Mayor’s Cup Race. The race officially begins at 11:00 am and usually lasts 4-6 hours depending on the course and wind.
About the Gloucester Schooner Festival
The Gloucester Schooner Festival is the annual commemoration of the significance of the classic fishing schooner to the history of Gloucester, the oldest fishing port on the East Coast. The larger schooners (over 80 ft.) compete in the Mayors Cup Race for the Esperanto Cup, a trophy from the International Fisherman’s Race begun in 1920 between Nova Scotia and Gloucester. For three days, the City’s harbor hosts a unique mix of old and new, as modern day fishermen share their home port with the traditional vessels of an earlier era.
For more information or questions about this sail training opportunity please contact:
Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, info@capeannchamber.com, 978-283-1601