WCAX: Historic Sail Boats Arrive in Burlington
July 25, 2007Burlington, Vermont
If you’ve never been sailing on Lake Champlain, here’s your chance to try it out. Two replicas of 19th century racing boats are visiting Burlington from their base at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.
The crew of the so-called “Sandbaggers,” Bull and Bear, will give families and kids free rides on Saturday. The boats were developed from the original Oyster boats of New York harbor in the early 1800s that raced from the oyster beds to market on shore. The museum says the winner got the right to set the day’s price. The replicas were built in the 1990s.
The boats are part of a weekend of events that will raise money for the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center, which offers low-cost sailing lessons.
Center director Kate Neubauer said, “There’s a free open event on Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Anybody who wants to come down can take a sail on these boats. And on Sunday there’s a challenge regatta. The proceeds will go to the sailing center. And they’ll be match racing these boats on Burlington harbor.” Individuals and teams will race for a set donation of $30 (for individuals) and $500 (for teams).
Mayor Bob Kiss, P-Burlington, added, “I think this fund raising that’s going on with the Bull and Bear sailing company is to support youth sailing and the history of sailing. So certainly the city endorses that effort. We want kids to have opportunities like this one to sail.”
Several youth organizations will take part in the free part of it, including Spectrum, the Baird Center and Burlington Parks & Recreation’s youth program.
The fundraising event aims to raise $50,000 for the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center. Neubauer said the Seaport Museum will match the money that’s raised locally.
For further information, you can call the Sailing Center at (802)-864-2499. Or log onto their web site. You’ll find a link at the beginning of this story.
Andy Potter – WCAX News
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=6839968&nav=4QcS
