Pretty clouds over Gloucester harbor skyline this morning.
Look to the sky over the next few days. Sunrise will be directly east at 90 degrees and sunset, directly west, at 270 degrees.
Visit the Schooner Festival event webpage for the most up-to-date schedule of events.
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.
John Raymond Jerome & Groove Therapy perform a free concert at Harbor Loop.
Throughout the day, visiting vessels will be arriving into Gloucester Harbor. View them under sail as the arrive, anywhere along Gloucester Harbor.
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!
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.
The International Dory Races, an annual tradition, are best viewed at Solomon Jacobs Park.
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!
More details available at facebook.com/ConcertsOnTheBoulevard
The annual Boat Parade of Lights begins at dusk in the Annisquam River. For more information visit facebook.com/boatparadeoflights
Following the Parade of Lights, time approximate. Best viewing is anywhere between Stage Fort Park, Stacy Boulevard, and Pavilion Beach.
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.
Watch the start of the Mayor’s Race. Free of Charge courtesy of the Cape Ann Transportation Authority.
1:00 pm
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
A picture perfect day for Gloucester’s 38th annual Schooner Festival Parade of Sail. The Harbor was dazzling with boats of every kind, including schooners, fishing boats, sailboats, pleasure boats, tour boats, kayaks, and more.
Spectators lined the shoreline from Stacey Boulevard to Eastern Point.
With thanks and deepest appreciation to Daisy Nell Collinson and the Gloucester Schooner Festival Committee – Daisy and Stan Collinson’s Schooner Redbird in the foreground
If you were curious as was I about that beautiful red and white striped plane that flew overhead at the Schooner Festival, it was a Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 biplane. While filming from the Paint Factory it flew overhead, creating a circle of perfectly puffed white clouds.
Known as Stearman, Boeing Stearman, or Kaydet, about 10,000 were built during the 1930s and 1940s, primarily as training planes for the US Army, USAir Force, USNavy, and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Of the 10,000, approximately 1,000 are still flying!
From wiki –
The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is a biplane formerly used as a military trainer aircraft, of which at least 10,626 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s.[2] Stearman Aircraft became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934. Widely known as the Stearman, Boeing Stearman, or Kaydet, it served as a primary trainer for the United States Army Air Forces, the United States Navy (as the NS and N2S), and with the Royal Canadian Air Force as the Kaydet throughout World War II. After the conflict was over, thousands of surplus aircraft were sold on the civilian market. In the immediate postwar years, they became popular as crop dusters and sports planes, and for aerobatic and wing walking use in air shows.
Design and development
The Kaydet was a conventional biplane of rugged construction, with a large, fixed tailwheel undercarriage, and accommodation for the student and instructor in open cockpits in tandem. The radial engine was usually not cowled, although some Stearman operators choose to cowl the engine, most notably the Red Baron Stearman Squadron.
Post-war usage
After World War II, thousands of surplus PT-17s were auctioned off to civilians and former military pilots. Many were modified for cropdusting use, with a hopper for pesticide or fertilizer fitted in place of the front cockpit. Additional equipment included pumps, spray bars, and nozzles mounted below the lower wings. A popular approved modification to increase the maximum takeoff weight and climb performance involved fitting a larger Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior engine and a constant-speed propeller.
The staff was great with the kids. Biologist and educator Hannah at the sea pocket aquarium nonstop answered the kid’s enthusiastic questions while Noelle was super helpful with craft projects. Many thanks to Maritime Gloucester for a fun event!
Lots more happening for the 38th Annual Schooner Festival. See the full schedule here.
Especially don’t miss the ever beautiful Parade of Sail tomorrow, Sunday, morning at 10am.
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!!
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.
Saturday, Sept 4
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 –
THREE Locations:
Maritime Gloucester, 23 Harbor Loop
Schooner Floats – I4C2 parking lot, 65 Rogers St
*NEW THIS YEAR!* Ocean Alliance – 32 Horton Street, Rocky Neck
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
9:15 – FIREWORKS!
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.
Sunday, Sept 5
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
Our newly redesigned Maritime Science Center will take some of our seasonal and underutilized space to create a cohesive year-round learning environment. This will include touch tanks, exhibit space and classroom space!
To learn more about this project and how you can help us reach our fundraising goals please visit our website! https://www.maritimegloucester.org/maritime-science-center