At about 2 minutes you can see the American Eagle crew hoisting her sails. The American Eagle was the last fishing schooner built in Gloucester. She launched on June 2nd, 1930 and was powered by both sail and engine. She now makes her home in Rockland, Maine, under the stewardship of Captain Tyler King, a Gloucester native.
From wiki – Andrew and Rosalie was built in 1930 by the United Sail Loft Company in Gloucester, for Patrick Murphy, a local fishing master, and was named for his children. The ship was used in fishing operations by his family until 1941, when it was sold to the Empire Fish Company, who renamed her American Eagle. They converted her for use as a trawler, a role she served, mainly under the ownership of the Piscitello brothers, until 1983.
She was purchased in 1984 by John Foss, who had recently restored the Lewis R. French (also a National Historic Landmark), and was restored at the North End Shipyard at Rockland, Maine. Foss rebuilt her for the cruise ship trade, and she now spends summers cruising Penobscot Bay in Maine on 3-7 day cruises, though she generally takes one longer cruise per year to places like Grand Manan Island in Canada. She is one of the few schooners in Maine that go on longer cruises, and one of the few that go offshore looking for whales. She also generally returns to Gloucester every year.
Recently I was contacted by a gentleman, Bill Girolamo, who was a passenger aboard the magnificent Schooner Denis Sullivan during the Parade of Sail and race. He was hoping to find images of the Denis Sullivan from shore and after a google search he found mine. The Schooner Denis Sullivan is a 3-masted Great Lakes cargo schooner and was recently purchased by the World Ocean School. 2023 marks the first year the Denis Sullivan participated in the Gloucester Schooner Festival.
Photo by Ron Grant: the Schooner Roseway crossing Whaleback Lighthouse in Kittery Maine
Bill shares that the Schooner Roseway, also owned by the World Ocean School, is in Mystic, Connecticut, undergoing a complete restoration. I hope this means we’ll see Roseway in next year’s festival! Bill writes that “The Roseway will be 100 years old next year. There will be a Centennial Celebration for it once it is out of Mystic CT, in one more year. Its life was amazing, having been built originally in Essex MA by the owner of the Hathaway Shirt company from lumber on his land in Ipswich as a Schooner fishing boat and the story continues for the next 100 years… amazingly.”
Last year, in 2022, Bill was invited to sail aboard the Roseway during Schooner Fest as his uncle was a pilot on the Schooner during the years it was a pilot boat in Boston Harbor. The Schooner was also a patrol boat during World War II and was was mounted with guns and painted gray. Bill wrote the lovely sonnet in tribute to the Schooner Roseway.
Many, many thanks to Bill Girolamo for sharing these wonderful connections!
Welcome to Gloucester! You are looking at the extraordinary three-masted schooner Denis Sullivan, as she wends her way though Gloucester Harbor during the Parade of Sail.
The only replica in the world of Great Lakes Cargo ships, the Denis Sullivan was recently acquired by Sail Boston. The schooner sailed from its former home in Milwaukee to its new home in Boston last October.
We hope to see the Schooner Denis Sullivan at the Gloucester Schooner Festival for all the years to come! I heard from the crew that they loved Gloucester and had a fantastic time!
I love trying to capture friend’s boats during the Parade of Sail. Here’s our neighbor’s Geoff and Mandy’s beautiful Schooner Strombus that they built and launched back in 2017, and the sweetest crew of East Gloucester friends!
The Schooner Strombus won the 2023 Betty Ramsey Award in the Marconi Rigged Class!
Strombus Schooner Launch Party, from July 2017-
A new schooner was added to Gloucester’s growing fleet. The schooner was launched today at 11am from the Rocky Neck Marine Railways. Strombus, built by Geoff Deckebach, with help from his wife Mandy, was twelve years in the making. They began gutting and restoring the boat all those many years ago when work and raising a family slowed progress. About a year ago, Geoff decided to turn his full attention to the restoration. The schooner is simply beautiful. More work will continue on the interior and it will be ready enough to motor along in this year’s upcoming Schooner Festival.
Gloucester Schooner Festival Parade of Sail 2023, with music by Jimmy Buffet
Featuring Schooners: Adventure, American Eagle, Columbia, Denis Sullivan, Ernestina-Morrissey, Adventurer, Alert, Ardelle,, Fame, Thomas E. Lannon, Tyrone, When and If, Calabash, Eileen Marie, Green Dragon, Isabella, Lewis H. Story, Redbird, Strombus
Join local Schooner Captains as they participate in a friendly competition putting their seamanship to the test over an “obstacle” course. Passengers will be given their own set of tasks to win the coveted Rum Bottle Award. Visiting schooners that have already arrived will join the event. The public is invited to purchase tickets aboard participating schooners.
Check various schooner websites for ticketing details.
7:00 pm
HARBOR LOOP SUMMER CONCERT SERIES – HARBOR LOOP
John Raymond Jerome & Groove Therapy perform a free concert at Harbor Loop.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1st
All Day
ARRIVAL OF VISITING VESSELS – GLOUCESTER HARBOR
Throughout the day, visiting vessels will be arriving into Gloucester Harbor. View them under sail as the arrive, anywhere along Gloucester Harbor.
10:00 – 4:00pm
MARITIME GLOUCESTER OPEN – 23 HARBOR LOOP
6:00 pm-10:00 pm
DOWNTOWN GLOUCESTER BLOCK PARTY – MAIN STREET
Celebrate the Schooner Festival with a street party on Gloucester’s Main Street. A fun night for all ages with live entertainment, al fresco dining, children’s activities and fun street performances!
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2nd
All Day
SCHOONER VIEWING & DECK TOURS THREE LOCATIONS:
Maritime Gloucester- 23 Harbor Loop
Schooner Floats – I4C2, 65 Rogers St
Ocean Alliance – 32 Horton St, Rocky Neck
Thanks to generous support from sponsors, Gloucester Schooner Festival is again able to provide a visitor-based dockside experience that puts the public on schooners for deck tours. This is a FREE option for the public. Donations are always appreciated.
9:30 am
INTERNATIONAL DORY RACES
The International Dory Races, an annual tradition, are best viewed at Solomon Jacobs Park.
10:00 – 4:00pm
MARITIME GLOUCESTER HERITAGE DAY – 23 HARBOR LOOP
Free to the public:
Schooner deck tours, crafts for all ages, skilled demonstrations & family activities. Plus, Maritime Gloucester’s exhibits and aquarium will be open throughout the day for FREE! Donations graciously accepted.
Timed Admission to the New Maritime Science Education Center. Make Reservations here.
Food Trucks on site include Beefie Boys, Uncle Joey’s Cannoli, Trolley Dogs, and Eclectic Clam
$20 hourly schooner sails on Schooner Ardelle!
6:30 pm-10:00 pm
CONCERT ON STACY BOULEVARD: LIVE MUSIC AND LIGHT EFFECTS
The annual Boat Parade of Lights begins at dusk in the Annisquam River. For more information visit facebook.com/boatparadeoflights
9:15 pm
FIREWORKS DISPLAY OVER GLOUCESTER HARBOR
Following the Parade of Lights, time approximate. Best viewing is anywhere between Stage Fort Park, Stacy Boulevard, and Pavilion Beach.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3rd
10:00 am-4:00 pm
MARITIME GLOUCESTER OPEN – 23 HARBOR LOOP
10:00 am-11:00 am
PARADE OF SAIL, GLOUCESTER HARBOR
Schooners proceed from the Inner Harbor, past the Fisherman’s Memorial on Stacy Boulevard and Stage Fort Park, to the race starting area off Eastern Point. Various non-profit and business organizations offer Parade of Sail or Race viewing.
11:00 am- 1:30 pm
SHUTTLE BUS TO EASTERN POINT LIGHT FROM EASTERN POINT GATE (EASTERN POINT @ FARRINGTON AVE)
Watch the start of the Mayor’s Race. Free of Charge courtesy of the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
1:00 pm
START OF MAYOR’S RACES FOR THE ESPERANTO CUP & THE COLUMBIA TROPHY OFF EASTERN POINT
The race course is decided the morning of the race by the Schooner Festival Committee at a meeting with the captains of the participating vessels. Read more about it in the 2023 Schooner Festival Program
My friend Mary McLoud reminded me of this time lapse video of the Parade of Sail from several years ago (eight actually!).
Parade of Sails Through Gloucester Inner Harbor Time Lapse
The tall ships start appearing around 1:50, but I liked seeing all the smaller boats, too. Look for the Stanley Thomas lobster boat closer to the beginning. After the Parade I walked out onto the rocky ledge near the Eastern Point Lighthouse, but as you can see in the second-to-last clip, a thunderstorm was on the way and I had to skeedadle.
Al Bezanson’s list of schooner’s, in order of appearance: Sugar Babe, Adventure, Thomas E Lannon, Adirondack III, Brilliant, Virginia, Tillicum I, Lewis H Story, Liberty Clipper, Perception, Light Reign, American Eagle, Morning Light, Green Dragon.
At the top of my husband Tom’s birthday wish list was a schooner ride aboard the Thomas Lannon. His birthday is still a week away so we had a pre-bday celebration last night. My kids and I treated and we met our friends Jade and Will, and their adorable kids, for the Schooner Challenge.
Although not much of challenge with super calm seas, it was a gorgeous night to be sailing around the harbor with family, friends and the wonderful Captain Heath Ellis and his topnotch crew. Former Lannon Captain Tom Ellis was aboard, making the sail even more perfect.
The night could not have been more magical and I think my husband is super pleased. What a way to start off the 37th Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival weekend and husband’s birthday week!!
GLOUCESTER 37th ANNUAL SCHOONER FESTIVAL SCHEDULE!
Thursday, Sept 2
SCHOONER CHALLENGE – 6:00 to 7:30pm – Gloucester Harbor
Join our local Schooner Captains as they participate in a friendly competition putting their seamanship to the test over an “obstacle” course. Passengers will be given their own set of tasks to win the coveted Rum Bottle Award. Visiting schooners already arrived will join the event. The public is invited to purchase tickets aboard participating schooners. Check various schooner websites for ticketing details.
Friday, Sept 3
All Day – The SCHOONERS ARRIVE – Gloucester Harbor with shoreside viewing
Historic Gloucester Harbor sets the scene for the arrival of over 2 dozen schooners throughout the day and. Spend the day viewing these wonderful vessels filling our harbor. Details of schooner arrival times will be provided as possible via social media.
6:00 to 10:00pm – Gloucester Block Party – Main Street, Gloucester
Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and local businesses roll out the red carpet on Main Street for Gloucester Schooner Festival with a street party! Shopping, food, entertainment, and fun are on the agenda all evening.
Maritime Heritage Day – 10:00am to 4:00pm – Maritime Gloucester, 23 Harbor Loop
The heart of land-based activities is Maritime Heritage Day! Maritime Gloucester opens its campus for a day of maritime heritage, live demonstrations, schooner sails, family fun, and food. Plan your day at Maritime Gloucester to be part of this historic year. See the full Maritime Heritage Day schedule
International Dory Committee Exhibition – 9:00 to 11:00am – Maritime Gloucester, 23 Harbor Loop –
*NEW THIS YEAR!*
We are excited to have the International Dory Race Committee be part of our 37th Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival in 2021. As we celebrate the 101st anniversary of the International Fisherman’s Race, we honor the heritage of the International Dory Races that coincided with the IFR since 1923. At 9:00am, the committee will run an exhibition race from Maritime Gloucester Pier toward the historic Tarr & Wonson Paint Factory and back. At 10:00am, visiting schooner crews will join for a second round of exhibition races. Solomon Jacobs Park will be a great viewing location.
Schooner Viewing and Deck Tours! – 10:00am to 4:00pm –
Thanks to generous support from our sponsors, we are again able to provide a visitor-based dockside experience that puts the public on schooners for deck tours. Public viewing will take place at Maritime Gloucester’s pier and at I4C2. This is a free option for the public, but donations for Gloucester Schooner Festival are appreciated to support this experience.
Gertrude L. Thebaud Pennant Viewing – 10:00am to 4:00pm – Maritime Gloucester, 23 Harbor Loop
*NEW THIS YEAR ONLY!*
For the first time in over 50 years, the Gertrude L. Thebaud Pennant will be displayed live at Maritime Gloucester’s Gorton’s Seafoods Gallery. This 25ft by 11ft pennant was proudly flown on the Gertrude L. Thebaud and is a site to behold in pure scale. After a small amount of work, we are once more able to hang this priceless piece of history for a limited time for public viewing.
Schooner Tour by Water – SOLD OUT – Gloucester Harbor Tours, Solomon Jacobs Park
Gloucester Harbor Tours teams up with Gloucester Schooner Festival to provide a narrated tour of the Schooners at the dock and on their moorings. This water-based tour will give ticketed customers a chance to hear about local maritime history and view these vessels from a unique perspective. This is a fun way for groups to experience the Gloucester Schooner Festival.
6:30 to 10:30pm – Concert on Stacy Boulevard
Live music and light effects light up the night overlooking the harbor on Stacy Boulevard.
7:00 to 9:30pm – Boat Parade of Lights – Annisquam River and Inner Harbor
Open to all who wish to decorate their boat and enter, this is a fantastic visual display starting in the Annisquam River and ending in the Smith’s Cove area of the harbor
The night sky lights up with the annual fireworks display over Stage Fort Park. Get on a schooner charter, watch from your boat, or enjoy from nearly anywhere in the city, this spectacle is a great way to enjoy Schooner Festival.
Parade of Sail – 10:00am to 12:00pm – Gloucester Harbor, Stacey Boulevard and Eastern Point viewing
The entire fleet of schooners joins together for a Parade of Sail not to be missed! Whether you get aboard a schooner or watch from the shore, this is a memorable experience for all. Prime viewing areas are Stacy Boulevard, Stage Fort Park, and Eastern Point. On the Boulevard, our Festival Chair Daisy Nell Collinson, Michael Costello, and Maritime Gloucester Historian Justin Demetri will provide live commentary. Schooners proceed from the Inner Harbor, past the Fisherman’s Memorial on Stacy Boulevard, to the race starting area off Eastern Point.
11:00 am to 1:30pm – Shuttle Bus to Eastern Point Light
Catch the CATA shuttle from Eastern Point Gate (Eastern Point Boulevard at Farrington Ave) to watch the start of the Mayor’s Race. Free of charge, courtesy of Cape Ann Transportation Authority
More Info
Mayor’s Cup Race – 1:00pm to 4:00pm – Massachusetts Bay off Gloucester
The Premier Event – The Mayor’s Races! This year’s schooners match up in small, medium, and large categories for a reach-reach competition viewing for the Esperanto Cup, The Ned Cameron Trophy, and The Betty Ramsey Award.
Monday, Sept 6 – Labor Day
Rain Date for Heritage Day or Race. Maritime Gloucester open from 10 to 4pm
Schooner Challenge aboard the Thomas Lannon with Redbird, Thomas Story, and Ardelle
The beautiful Schooner Alert setting sail and departing Gloucester at first light.About Schooner Alert
In 1992 Schooner ALERT was launched and christened TALL COTTON, a southern expression that means Finest Kind. She was designed and built by Paul Rollins in York, Maine. Built for a charter business the owner abandoned the idea, no charters we ever done, and the beautiful vessel was abandoned for at least 10 years.
She was purchased by Roger Woodman in 2006. Woodman changed her name to ALERT and started a new life for this fine boat fitting her out for commercial fishing and research. ALERT operated out of Portland, Maine until 2012.
In 2013 ALERT was sold to Captains Perry Davis and Bethany McNelly-Davis. They have been sailing out of Bailey Island, Maine hosting charters on the ketch TEVAKE since 2006. They converted the ALERT from a commercial fishing schooner to a commercial passenger carrying vessel. In September 2013 ALERT was awarded a certificate of inspection by the United States Coast Guard to carry 28 passengers.
Schooner ALERT Windjammer Cruises collaborates with schools to offer a tall ship experience that caters to their curriculum. Island Adventure trips are offered to students and private parties. The Harpswell based Tall Ship aims to serve their community and get the best out of every day we are given.
The Schooner ALERT and Ketch TEVAKE operate out of Garrison Cove on Bailey Island, Maine hosting two, four, and six hour public and private sailing charters.
If you had the opportunity to see the schooners docked at Gloucester’s gorgeous new floating dock, located at I4-C2, know that it was constructed by Beacon Marine Basin and installed by Brett Ramsey’s company Ramsey Marine and Dock Construction. The floating dock was created by Gloucester Maritime and the Schooner Festival Committee to provide schooners with a convenient place to moor.
Schooners Bluenose II, Columbia, Tree of Life, Brilliant, and When and If, along with the Tall Ship Lynx
The new dock was well utilized during the three day Schooner Festival event. By late Sunday afternoon, there were a total of five schooners, as well as the Tall Ship Lynx, moored at the floating dock!
The dock will be removed within the next few weeks, to be reinstalled next August for the 35th Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival.
Schooners Columbia and Tyrone moored at the floating dock.
10:00 am to 4:00 pm Maritime Gloucester Heritage Day
Maritime Gloucester, located at 23 Harbor Loop in downtown Gloucester, will host its annual Heritage Day celebration from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The event is free to the public.
11:00 am to 3:00 pm Heritage Day at the White-Ellery House
The 1710 White-Ellery House (245 Washington Street, Gloucester) will have a slide show of schooners and have other fishing & racing related activities. The event is free to the public.
4:30 pm – 8:30 pm Lobster Bake at The Gloucester House
Music, food and a whole lot of fun. The cost is only $17
for Lobster, Corn and Cornbread.
5:00 pm to 10:00 pm Concert on Stacy Boulevard
Enjoy a community concert on The Boulevard before and after the Parade of Lights and Fireworks.
7:00 pm Boat Parade of Lights
The annual Boat Parade of Lights begins at dusk at Jones Creek on the Annisquam River, travels down the river, through the drawbridge and into Gloucester Harbor, ending in the Smith’s Cove area of the harbor.
9:15 pm Fireworks Display over Gloucester Harbor. (following Parade of Lights, time approximate) (The Gloucester Fireworks Committee is in need of more donations for the Labor Day weekend fireworks. Donations may be made to The Gloucester Fund, 45 Middle St., Gloucester, MA 01930. Please notate “fireworks” on your donation.)
Sunday, September 2, 2018
8:30 am Skippers Meeting
This meeting is required for all Schooners sailing in the Mayor’s Race. Meet at Solomon Jacobs Park, immediately adjacent to the U.S. Coast Guard Station on Harbor Loop.
10:30 am to 12:00 pm Parade of Sail as Schooners proceed from Inner Harbor, past the Fishermen’s Memorial on Stacy Boulevard, to the race starting area off Eastern Point.
11:00 am to 1:30 pm Shuttle Bus to Eastern Point Light, from Eastern Point Gate (Eastern Point Boulevard at Farrington Avenue) to watch the start of the Mayor’s Race. Free ofCharge, courtesy of Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
1:00 pm Start of Mayor’s Race for the Esperanto Cup, Columbia Trophy, Ned Cameron Trophy; and Betty Ramsey Trophy off Eastern Point.
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Reception and Awards Ceremony
for captains, crews and invited guests (ticketed event)
Monday, September 3, 2018
“Rain Day” for recovery from postponements caused by inclement weather. ONLY IF REQUIRED.
So many thanks to everyone for watching! I was a bit worried about posting a 25 minute unnarrated film set to music alone but the response has been wonderful. Feeling blessed and thankful for our beautiful community.
2016 Gloucester Schooner Festival
Dedicated to Kay Ellis
Highlights from Gloucester’s magnificent Schooner Festival, including the schooner welcome, Parade of Sail, the schooner race from a rocky cliff outpost, awards ceremony where Fly Amero and Daisy Nell honor Kay with a song, Daisy tells a funny joke, Adventure Captain Stefan Edick wins a special award, fireworks from Stage Fort Park, and more. The film opens with scenes of Cape Ann schooners, participating schooners, and Gloucester fishing boats, shot all around Gloucester Harbor during the weekend of the festival.
With special thanks to Al Bezanson, Daisy Nell, and Schooner Welcome Committee members Brett Ramsey, Max Ramsey, and Nick Ramsey.
The Gloucester Schooner Festival is held each year over Labor Day weekend and organized byMaritime Gloucester and the Gloucester Schooner Festival Committee. The Schooner Festival celebrates the role the fishing schooner has played in the maritime heritage of the east coast, especially Cape Ann.
Congratulations to all the schooner Captains and their crews for an exciting race. The winning times were very close, especially in the category of the older large schooners where they are only about five minutes apart (Columbia is not included as she is a two year old schooner). Captain Karl Joyner graciously accepted the Mayor’s Trophy for the Columbia.
The highlight of the ceremony came when Captain Stefan Edick was awarded not only the Esperanto Cup, but also the George Nichols Cup. The Nichols Cup is awarded for seamanship and to an individual contributing to the maritime community. It is not given every year.
Captain Stefan Edick and the Adventure Crew holding the Esperanto Cup at Sunday night’s 32nd Gloucester Schooner Festival race award ceremony
The “never ending” was my favorite part of the Gloucester Schooner Festival/Labor Day fireworks, but it was all super spectacular. An adorable little girl, Belle, was standing next to me while filming the fireworks. At one point during the show Belle asked her Mom if the sharks and mermaids were watching the firework.
Gloucester Schooner Festival 2015 Parade of Sail with time lapse ~
A perfect day for the Parade of Sail, the 31st annual Gloucester Schooner Festival was the most highly attended festival to date, with 23 schooners participating and thousands of spectators perched all around the beaches and boulevards surrounding the harbor.
You’ll see parading through the inner harbor the smallest rowboats to the grand three-masted 169-foot Schooner Mystic, with the Roderick McAllister chugging through the scene. Look for Gloucester schooners the Adventure at 2:10, the Thomas E. Lannon hoisting her sails at about 3:10, and the Ardelle at 3:30. GMG FOB Al Bezanson’s Green Dragon is seen at 4:51. Out by the Dogbar breakwater the 610-foot Navy’s USS Fort McHenry was positioned and surrounded by sailboats and schooners, you really get a sense of the size of this ship.
The parade time lapse footage was shot in real time and is one hour and 23 minutes long, compressed into roughly six minutes at 1000 percent.
Schooner identification provided by Green Dragon Captain Al Bezanson. Thank you Al!
The taller ships start appearing around 1:50, but I liked seeing all the smaller boats, too. Look for the Stanley Thomas lobster boat closer to the beginning. After the Parade I walked out onto the rocky ledge near the Eastern Point Lighthouse, but as you can see in the second-to-last clip, a thunderstorm was on the way and I had to skedadle.
Beautiful Event to film-to many of us, Gloucester is our “somewhere over the rainbow.”
