An enthusiastic crowd turned out tonight for the kickoff to Greenport’s Tall Ships 2015 festival, at a Captains’ Reception held at Peconic Landing’s elegant Brecknock Hall.
“We are proud to host the Captain’s Reception, which serves as the kick-off of this exciting four-day festival,” said Robert J. Syron, President and CEO of Peconic Landing, one of the sponsors of the Greenport Tall Ships Festival, before the event. “It is a great opportunity to meet with ship captains and hear their incredible stories about living on the sea.”
The Greenport Tall Ships Festival spotlights six vessels, with the highlight centering on the arrival of France’s L’Hermione, a recreation of a sailing frigate making a symbolic journey across the Atlantic to commemorate General LaFayette’s voyage in 1780 — celebrating the strong ties between the United States and France.
Joining the L’Hermione are the Picton Castle, Sagres, Lynx, AJ Meerwald and Kalmar Nyckel.
Sam Sikkema, captain of the Picton Castle, a three-masted Tall Ship based out of Nova Scotia, said Greenport is a “lovely destination.” He added that it’s nice for the Tall Ships to enter smaller villages and destinations, where the whole town embraces their arrival. “We’re very well received by the entire community,” he said.
Captain Jesse Briggs of the AJ Meerwald, New Jersey’s official Tall Ship, an educational vessel whose home port is Bivalve, Commercial Township, said the educational opportunities are invaluable.
“It’s great to watch the children when they learn something new. A lot of kids we take out, it’s their first time on the water.” Kids learn to catch fish with nets, he said. And young seafarers learn to protect the environment. “They learn that the trash we see in the street is the trash that ends up in the water.”
Captain Lauren Morgens said working about the Kalmar Nyckel is “the coolest job you could ever get to have.”
Being a female captain, she said, mostly “generates a lot of interest. A lot of people are fascinated by the idea.”
According to its website, the present-day Kalmar Nyckel is as floating classroom, where the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation’s award-winning educational programs aim to teach students about Delaware’s rich maritime and colonial history.
The night was a kickoff to an event that has taken months of planning. Greenport Village Trustee Julia Robins, who served on the Tall Ships Commitee with Trustee Jack Martilotta said even on Friday, the “preview” day, excitement was in the air as residents and visitors alike breathed in the majesty of the Tall Ships. “These ships bring us back to another time,” she said.
Martilotta agreed. “They’re absolutely beautiful,” he said. “The harbor is breathtaking. It’s incredible.” The event is especially exciting for his young children, Martilotta said. “My daughter, who’s three, thinks they’re pirate ships.”
Ron Breuer, chairman of the East End Seaport Museum, said Friday was “unbelievable,” an exciting precursor to the four-day event.
One guest described the wonder in a little girl’s eyes as she first saw the Tall Ships in Greenport’s harbor. “She wanted to see a mermaid,” she said.
Syron said Peconic Landing was honored to host the reception and serve as one of the event’s sponsors. “We love being a part of Greenport and a North Fork community,” he said.
Greenport Village Mayor George Hubbard thanked Syron, as well as former Mayor David Nyce, members of the Tall Ships committee, members of the Business Improvement District, who helped to raise donations, and the community.
The Tall Ships, he said, “are a sight to see.”
Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski said he and his wife Mary planned to stroll by the ships this evening. “There’s so much history in Greenport,” he said, noting the incredible amount of hard work and dedication involved in orchestrating the event.
Greenport, added Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell, is the “crown jewel of the East End.” He thanked all involved for their efforts.
Hubbard introduced each captain; Jesse Doucett of the Lynx, a square topsail schooner based in Newport Beach, California, thanked the Greenport community for welcoming the Tall Ships.
Captain Paulo Alcobia of Portugal thanked the Claudio family; earlier in the day, the Claudios welcomed Alcobia and the Tall Ship Sagres, which holds deep meaning for their family, to Greenport.
Erin Short of Tall Ships America described the race and said Greenport is the third port so far in the journey. “It’s been a fun ride so far,” she said, also praising small ports.
The event has taken months of planning, Nyce said. Jeff Goubeaud, Mitchell Marina manager, sent each captain a framed print of Bug Light, along with a poem. Nyce also gave a print to Peter Clarke, BID president, and thanked him for his hard work.
Looking ahead to the festive weekend ahead, Hubbard said sunny skies are expected. “We’re going to have some fun and see some ships,” he said.
