With the harbor sparkling in the backdrop a perfect harbinger of the summer to come, elected officials, business leaders, and the public gathered today to kick off the Tall Ships Challenge 2015 festival in Greenport.
The event will take place from July 4 though 7 in Greenport, with six Tall Ships, including the Picton castle, Sagres, Lynx, AJ Meerwald, and Kar Mal Nyckel headed to the village — with France’s Lafayette’s L’Hermione the heralded centerpiece.
The Hermione is currently leaving the Canary Islands and headed for Yorktown, Virginia, making a symbolic journey across the Atlantic, simulating the route forged by LaFayette in 1780 and representing the longtime union between the United States and France; the Hermione will stop at 12 ports along the eastern seaboard this summer.
Mayor George Hubbard welcomed the crowd, which packed the dock at Claudio’s, and said the event is taking shape and would “put Greenport on the map.” He added, “It’s going to be four days of a lot of fun.”
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said the event would be good not just for Greenport, but for the entire Suffolk County region.
Greenport, he said, is a historic area that has “redefined and reinvented itself,” and should serve as a model for the rest of Suffolk County.
Those attending the event should take mass transit, Bellone said, adding that transportation solutions were key looking ahead in Suffolk County.
“You can also come by boat,” said Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, remembering how another Tall Ships event in recent years also brought visitors to the village, proving not only an economic boon but a way for others to appreciate Greenport’s rich legacy and culture.
Southold Town Supevisor Scott Russell said while the event would be a “huge undertaking” in the end, he said, “it will be worth it. The Village of Greenport is the crown jewel of the East End and this event is going to show it off.”
Tickets are now onsale for the event, said Greenport Village Trustee Jack Martilotta, who serves on the Tall Ships committee. For ticket prices and to purchase tickets, go to greenporttallships.com.
Greenport Business Improvement District President Peter Clarke suggested visitors could also head out to the Tall Ships event by Hampton Jitney or on the Cross Sound Ferry.
The event, he said, will serve as an “unprecedented opportunity to see the role the Hermione played” between France and the United States. The event, he said, “benefits all of us,” not only with educational opportunities for all ages, but in serving as an economic generator for the business community. The BID, he said, has pledged $100,000 to the event and has raised over $70,000 so far. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Clarke thanked the sponsors who’ve signed on, including WABC-TV, Claudio’s, Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, Stony Brook Medicine, Peconic Landing, Eastern Long Island Hospital, Noah’s Restaurant, and Newsday.
Judi Kilachand, Executive Director of the Friends of Hermione-Lafayette in America, gave an overview of the process of rebuilding the Hermione and described the “majestic” vessel’s role in the history of local waters. Village officials gifted Kilachand with a Greenport flag; she, in turn, presented elected officials with hardcover books about the history of Lafayette, who was only 19 when he first set sail on the Hermione and changed history, turning the tide of the Revolutionary War.
SoutholdLOCAL photos by Peter Blasl.
