There’ll be no witches, but there’ll be lots of gleaming vintage boats on August 24 and 25 when the 37th Antique & Classic Boat Festival is held in Salem, Massachusetts.
Beautifully restored classic and antique vessels will be at Hawthorne Cove Marina, both on land and in the water. Boats may be sail, power, steam, hand-powered and built of wood, steel, aluminum, fiberglass or other materials.
Among the vessels will be Malabar II, a striking 52-foot John Alden-designed schooner built in 1922. Also on display will be a Swampscott dory built in 1970 by Pert Lowell of Newbury, Massachusetts. The dory is now owned by 16-year-old Alex Giniatis of Hanover, Massachusetts, who has sailed to the festival from Hingham, Massachusetts, aboard his grandfather’s 1946 catboatTabby every year since he was 4 years old. A rowing enthusiast, Alex would like to row his dory to the festival, even though not all of his relatives are enthusiastic about the idea. Only time will tell how his boat will get to Salem.
In addition to boats, the festival will feature a crafts market, children’s activities, live music, a social hour, a dinner party, and awards for the best restorations in various categories.
Public hours to view the vessels will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, or to register a boat, go to www.boatfestival.org
