Schooner Fest is by far our favorite weekend of the year in Gloucester. The weekend is all about maritime history, the harbor and the schooners. This year Gloucester had over 25 Schooners visit us of all sizes ranging from 30'- 142'. All beautiful and look like they glide on the water effortlessly.
Before we talk about Schooner Fest, let me tell you a little bit about the boats themselves.
Some of you might be asking what is a schooner?
Schooner "is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of 2 or more masts and, in the case of a 2 masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast."
(thanks Wikipedia)
This a beautiful example of a Schooner, this is the Schooner Alert
The majority of the schooners are all wood hulls, wood masts and have fabric old school sails. They hold on to the tradition of sailing and with the smallest amount of wind they can move faster than you would ever imagine. They seem to glider on the water with no effort. If you ever get chance to go to a harbor that has more than one schooner you should watch them sail around, or get on one for a sail and feel the power of the wind, there is nothing like it.
We traditionally try to get on as many schooners as we can to sail or tour, just to see them up close and personal is something you will never forget.