Antique & Classic Boat Festival

Festival History

The Festival was launched in 1983 under the auspices of the Boston Educational Marine Exchange, a non-profit, membership association founded by visionary architect/mariner Carl Koch in 1976 to revitalize Boston Harbor.

The idea for the festival was hatched by Pat Wells of BEME as a vehicle for bringing the public back to the Harbors of Massachusetts, celebrating and preserving maritime heritage and promoting the need for boating facilities and public landings on our coastline. The Festival has been held in Boston, Charlestown, Quincy, and now is now held every year at SHM Hawthorne Cove Marina in Salem, MA.

Here are photos of some of the boats from past Festivals:

Previous Festival “stars” have included:

  • RAGTIME, 1928, 64′ Commuter yacht, owned by Boothbay Regional Boatyard
  • OLD GLORY, 1918, 58′ canoe stern power cruiser built by George Lawley & Son in Dorchester and owned by Bill Skinner and Viking Gustafson of Winthrop MA
  • GOLDENEYE, 1960, 39’Concordia yawl, owned by Gregory Nulk, Kittery, ME
  • GHOST, 1934 custom powerboat owned by Jim Watson of Cohasset MA
  • TABBY, 1946 Fenwick Williams 18′ Cape Cod catboat owned by Philip Carling of Hingham MA
  • LET’S GO, 1955 MacKenzie 28’ bass boat owned by Christopher Ward of Marshfield, MA
  • DAME OF SARK, 1961, Concordia 40 yawl, owned by Joseph Callaghan, Cheshire, CT
  • BREEZE, 1946 28′ Hinckley Sloop owned by Neil Chayet of Salem, MA
  • CATHERINE ANN, 1938, 27′ Richardson Cabin Cruiser, owned by Al and Cathy Zink
  • ROZINANTE, 28′ L. Francis Herreshoff Canoe Yawl. owned by Jonathan Margolis, Brookline MA
  • SEA HARMONY, 1937, 33′ Albert Strange yawl, owned by Thad Danielson, Marblehead, MA
  • JASON, 1965 23′ Riva Ariston runabout, owned by Nick Mango, Marblehead, MA
  • TANNIS, 1937 38′ Friendship Sloop, owned by John Cronin, Sturbridge, MA
  • CG36500, 1946 Coast Guard 26′ motor lifeboat, owned by Orleans Historical Society, Orleans, MA
  • WHIRL-A-WAY, 1940, 16′ Chris-Craft Deluxe runabout, owned by Harry Rohrer, Sparta NJ
  • BUCCANEER, 1965, 58′ Essex schooner, owned by Robert Casian, Hampton Falls NH
  • QUEENIE, 1900, 16′ Old Town courting canoe, owned by Ernest Osborn, Derry NH
  • BREEZE,  owned by Neil Chayet, Salem, MA
  • TRADE WIND, 1938 62’ Alden motor sailer owned by Michael and Marcy Brenner of Portsmouth, RI
  • Even the former Presidential Yacht, SEQUOIA, and Billy Joel’s classic commuter VENDETTA, have been seen at the the Festival
  • Many more unique and wonderful boats, both modest and grand!

AND MANY, MANY GREAT CRAFT ARE EXPECTED TO BE AT THE FESTIVAL!