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New Bedford tells its story in creative ways
Classic yachts ply New Bedford waters for layover
 By
DON CUDDY
Standard Times staff writer
NEW BEDFORD — With a fine easterly breeze filling their
sails, the line of classic yachts gliding through the
hurricane barrier lent an air of gentility to the New
Bedford waterfront Wednesday afternoon.
It is a sight that many along the shore are hoping will
become more commonplace, among them economic development
director Matt Morrissey, who went out in a launch to
greet the boats as they sailed in from Edgartown just
after 1 p.m.
"It's great to see these beautiful boats entering our
harbor," he said. "We continue to support the working
waterfront, but the harbor is large enough to
accommodate a mix of uses. We see a real opportunity now
to bring in more recreational boating and to market the
harbor to different populations."
The arrival of the beautifully restored yachts
represented something of a coup for the city, Mr.
Morrissey said.
Led by the 160-foot, three-masted, staysail schooner
Arabella, the visiting fleet also included several
Concordia yawls, among them the Captiva, owned by John
and Laurie Bullard.
"New Bedford is known around the world as a commercial
harbor, but as far as yachts go, it's a secret," Mr.
Bullard said. "So when we bring in a fleet like this and
they see the port and the services we have here and the
nearby historic district, they are going to come back.
New Bedford is an interesting and multi-dimensional port
and, without interfering in any way with the working
harbor, we have the potential to reap the economic
benefit here that yachts bring to places like Edgartown
and Newport."
The classic yacht cruise is sponsored by the
International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, R.I.,
which is in the business of preserving old boats. This
is their eighth cruise, but the first occasion the city
port was included in the itinerary — and that came about
fortuitously, according to Mrs. Bullard.
"I was at a nice dinner and met the man responsible for
reviving the cruise, and I told him I would help him if
he included New Bedford on the cruise track," she said.
"So he and James Russell, the vice president of IRYS,
were able to convince the board of trustees to consider
it. They came here in January and we took them out on
the harbor and then they walked around the historic
district and said, 'We're in.'"
Harbor Development Commissioner Kristin Decas
accompanied Mr. Morrissey around the harbor, welcoming
the crews and presenting each boat with a block of ice,
Black Whale T-shirts, Port of New Bedford hats, and an
impressive goody bag featuring a bottle of champagne
with a customized label displaying the name of each
individual boat, a glossy booklet describing the city
and its attractions, a fleece top from Guy Cotten,
Titleist golf balls and a flag from the Coalition for
Buzzards Bay.
The gaff cutter Peggy Bawn, built in Carrickfergus,
Ireland, in 1894 and still using cotton sails, was the
oldest boat in the fleet, which included a number of
extreme racing craft such as Nor' Easter — an Alden "Q"
boat — and the 1955 Concordia sloop Harrier, famous for
winning all six races at Cowes Week in England that
year, with the present owner Jesse Bontecou aboard.
"This is my first visit to New Bedford in about 60
years," Mr. Bontecou said. "What a great welcome we've
had!"
James Russell of the International Yacht Restoration
School said the effort put forth by the city was
overwhelming.
"We're humbled," he said. "The warm welcome the fleet
received coming in with escort boats, bottles of
champagne and all that the mayor and the Economic
Development Council has laid on for us has been
absolutely stupendous. We're thrilled to be here, and I
know we're going to want to come back."
After a gathering at Cork bar, the crews attended a
dinner party at the Whaling Museum Wednesday evening and
were scheduled to explore the waterfront and visit a
fish processing plant today.
The cruise will end Friday with the fleet's return to
Newport.
By Wednesday evening, Mr. Morrisey was declaring the
visit an unqualified success.
"The response we are getting is very positive. Everyone
is saying that New Bedford is an undiscovered gem," he
said.
August 23, 2007 |
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