2020 Tall Ship visit seen as way to promote Rockland maritime heritage
Courtesy / American Sail Training International
Plans are in the works to bring Tall Ship Fair Jeanne from Canada to Rockland as part of the city’s celebration of Maine’s bicentennial.
The Rockland City Council agreed that a visit from one of American Sail Training Association’s Tall Ships in summer 2020 would be a great way to advertise Rockland’s working waterfront and maritime heritage, build on existing maritime-related events and amenities in the community, and bring more visitors.
The council agreed earlier this month to act as the fiscal agent for the event.
Tom Peaco, executive director of the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the event was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city to play a significant role in celebrating Maine’s bicentennial. Rockland has its own fleet of windjammers, but expects to host the Canadian Tall Ship Fair Jeanne in July as part of the Maine's bicentennial celebration.
“We have lots of folks coming together to try to make this happen,” he said. “The ultimate goal is not to have the city have any expense in this, but to simply serve as the entity to sign the contract and have the bills pass through. We have those willing to step up and help raise funds and make this a reality, and not make this a financial hardship for the city.”
Robin McIntosh, with the Sail, Power and Steam Museum in Rockland, told the council her museum and others, including the Children’s Museum and Lighthouse Museum, both in Rockland, support the Tall Ship visit and plan to create events around its visit, as well as fold it into the marketing of existing local events such as the Maine Windjammer Association’s Great Schooner Race.
There was some concern on the part of the city’s harbor management commission regarding the potential expense for the city in hosting the ship. While the commission supported the concept overall, said commission member Louise MaClellan-Ruf, the city was “looking at putting out a loan, basically, to cover all kinds of expenses” such as port security, utilities and pilot ships. The commission’s concern, she said, centered on whether the funds the city laid out would be recouped.
“This is not the commission saying no,” she said. “It’s saying there are financial realities.”
American Sail Training Association has asked Rockland to host one Tall Ship, a 110-foot Canadian brigantine Fair Jeanne, for two days, said Dan Bookham, a Rockland resident who said he is involved the planning process for bringing the ship to Rockland.
Designed and built in 1982 Fair Jeanne is homeported in Ottawa and operated as a sail training vessel.
Bookham noted that maritime-related groups involved in the discussions include museums, the windjammer fleet, the Apprenticeshop, youth sailing programs and more.
“We’d like to put elements in recognizing our native windjammers and existing marine nonprofits, marine industries like the boatbuilders and artisans, our fishing fleet and our commercial waterfront,” he said. “The best harbor on the East Coast and some the most beautiful cruising grounds on the East Coast are right in front of us, and we can do this with a bow on it to celebrate the 200th birthday of the state and demonstrate that Rockland, almost uniquely, is a port that has a continuous traditional sailing heritage of commercial working vessels.”
Several councilors said the event would be worth the expected expenditures on the part of the city.
“The public landing and public access are about more than breaking even and making money from services we render,” said Councilor Ed Glaser. “An event like this puts the ‘public’ back into the concept of public landing. If we find ways to get people down to the waterfront, even if there’s some cost to the city, that’s a worthwhile reason for us to have the public landing. An event like this eventually winds up paying for itself, because more people come to the public landing and to the waterfront. To some extent, it’s an advertising arm for the city of Rockland.”
City Manager Tom Luttrell said the cost to the city to host the ship could potentially come to $27,500.
Rockland is one of numerous communities preparing to celebrate Maine’s bicentennial. The bicentennial celebration, which began earlier this year, celebrates the 200th anniversary of Maine voting to separate from Massachusetts and will continue through next year.
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