Looking ahead to the Antique & Classic Boat Show in August

AHOY! This is a perennial favorite. If you're thinking about a weekend to visit Salem this summer, this is a good one.

28TH ANNUAL ANTIQUE & CLASSIC BOAT FESTIVAL

August 28-29, 2010 (Sat. 11 am - 5 pm; Sun. 11 am - 3 pm)
Hawthorne Cove Marina, 10 White St., Salem, Massachusetts
Admission: $5. Children under 12 free
Info & Boat Entry: 617-666-8530, 617-868-7587, BoatFestival.org

The 28th Annual Antique & Classic Boat Festival is happening in Salem, Massachusetts August 28-29. 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,
• TABBY, a 1946 Fenwick Williams catboat.

The Festival includes boats built prior to 1976. They can be power, sail or hand-powered, and do not 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 festival organizer Pat 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.

Here are a few great nautical connections made during past boat shows:

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!

The Antique & Classic Boat show was held in downtown Boston, Charlestown and Quincy, Massachusetts, before it made Salem its home base in 1999. According to organizers, festival-goers love Salem, its historic district, attractions, and restaurants. The Hawthorne Cove Marina is lovely and compact, so visitors do not have to walk far to see the boats.

In addition to the boats, the Festival includes a crafts market, old-time band music, children¹s activities, the Blessing of the Fleet and the grand finale ­ the Parade of Boats.