Bevy of boating events at Belfast marine fest

BELFAST – The lure of the sea will be in the air when the Belfast Marine Heritage Festival takes place at Heritage Park on the city’s waterfront on Saturday, July 26.

The festival will include the National BoatBuilding Challenge, the eighth annual rowing regatta, a classic small boat show and model boat-building exhibits provided by the Penobscot Marine Museum.

There also will be live music from El Camino’s Blue Grass Band, seafaring chantey and sailors’ work songs by Geoff Kaufman, food and snacks, along with a variety of booths operated by vendors and event sponsors. Belfast shops and galleries will also accommodate visitors with special offerings. There is no admission fee.

“This will be a great day to be in Belfast with something for everybody including lots of room in the park to wander around or maybe just sit back and relax and watch the day go by,” said John Burgess, executive director of the Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce. “Last year, our first year with the National BoatBuilding Challenge, we were surprised to see about 2,500 people attend the event. This year we’re expanding our horizons and activities in hopes of bringing in twice that number.”

The boat-building challenge will begin at 9:30 a.m. when two-person teams using their own tools race to be the first to build a 12-foot-long Monhegan skiff from plans and materials provided by event organizers. The boat builders will attempt to break the world record of 2 hours and 26 minutes set earlier this year in North Carolina. At 3 p.m. the teams will row their finished boats in a relay race.

Final results will be based on three factors: the speed of building the boat, quality of workmanship and the relay rowing race. There is a $100 entry fee and participants get to keep their skiff.

The Classic Small Boat Show will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will feature crafts of professional and amateur boat builders. There will also be marine-related vendors displaying their wares. People can come to buy, sell or trade a boat, or to network with boat builders and marine vendors.

“Visitors and exhibitors alike can just wander around, look through various small boats that are indeed classics, exchange ideas and learn from those in the know. If you’re a boat lover, this is where you’ll want to be,” said organizer Mike Hall.

The eighth annual Come Boating Rowing Regatta will host races in the bay beginning at 10 a.m. and finishing at 3:30 p.m. There also will be a community rowing orientation session from noon to 2 p.m. The regatta will feature two Belfast-built Cornish pilot gigs. The Selkie and Belle Fast are 32-foot-long boats holding a crew of six rowers and a cox. A Scilly Isles gig from Rockland will also race in the regatta. There will be both long- and short-course races and all boats will be operated under U.S. Coast Guard regulations.

The team from the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport will have activities for children and various educational demonstrations throughout the festival. In addition to historic craft on exhibit, the legendary Jacob Pike sardine carrier will be in the bay for visitors to view and tour. A birch-bark canoe made by members of the Penobscot Nation will also be on display.

Built by Newbert and Wallace of Thomaston, the iconic 83-foot-long Jacob Pike plied Maine waters for more than a half-century and was donated to the museum by Martha White and Taylor Allen of Rockport Marine. The Jacob Pike will ultimately become the centerpiece of a new Hall of Maine Built Boats on the museum’s Searsport campus.

“This restored vessel alone is worth coming to see,” said Niles Parker, the museum’s executive director. “It shows you how our forefathers worked the waters along the coast and were vital contributors to the Maine economy and livelihood.”

The expanded festival is due to the growing coalition of organizations and individuals getting involved, said Mike Cunning, a member of the steering committee.

“Everyone is coming together under the big tent and working together with us, yet each playing their chosen role,” he said. “As for those attending the Belfast Marine Heritage Festival, you can be a boat builder, a boat lover, a boat racer, a boating enthusiast, or just a curiosity seeker and you’ll still find what you’re looking for. Last year was great, but it’s getting even better this time.”

Those interested in taking part in the boat-building challenge or exhibiting in the small boat show should contact the Belfast Area Chamber of Commerce at 338-3310 or baccchamber@verizon.net.

wgriffin@bangordailynews.net

338-9546