A fleet of majestic, historic windjammers will set sail for Boothbay Harbor Windjammer Days Sunday, June 27 through Saturday, July 3. This will follow the Tall Ships Festival June 25-27, originally scheduled for last year to celebrate Maine’s Bicentennial, but canceled due to the pandemic.

The Tall Ships Festival, possible through a partnership between Tall Ships of America and Friends of Windjammer Days (FWD), features tours of three of the four ships: Nao Santa Maria – for a second time, the Privateer Lynx and, making its first appearance in the Harbor, Spirit of Bermuda. Tickets to tour all three ships are $20 in advance and $25 the day of one of the tours and are available through Eventbrite: https://bit.ly/3j0xVsr. Tickets are sold for either the morning session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or the afternoon session from 1 to 4 p.m. A limited amount of tickets will be available at the FWD tent in Whale Park each of the three days. The fourth Tall Ship, Alert, will offer custom tours; visit https://bit.ly/3xJ4AqF  to book.

These historic vessels have limited accessibility for people with physical disabilities. Guests boarding ships must be able to walk up a gangway and handle vertical ship stairs and ladders if present. Please be aware, at low tide the gangways down to the ships will be exceptionally steep. Appropriate footwear is recommended. Leave the flip-flops at home!

The ships arriving specifically for WJD are Victory Chimes, Heritage, American Eagle, Bowdoin (July 1-3), Agness and Dell, Sycamore, True North, Ardelle, Lewis R. French, Alert, Jenny Ives, Ladona, Harvey Gamage and Mary E; and our homeport ships Eastwind, Lazy Jack and Ernestina-Morrissey. Except for the Ernestina-Morrissey (nearing the final stages of restoration), and the 127-foot Victory Chimes which will anchor in the outer harbor, the Gathering of the Fleet in the harbor is early afternoon Wednesday, June 30.

Red Cloak Tours is offering its events live, via conference call, yet you actually walk each route with a professional storyteller as your guide. Learn about hauntings, the region’s maritime history and mysteries. By reservation only. Book at https://bit.ly/3zPZrPy or call 207-380-3806. Most tours are offered anytime 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday, June 27 includes the Blessing of the Fleet, Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club’s One Design races, and Red Cloak History tele-tours; and a Reggae cruise in the evening.

Monday, June 28  features the 3rd annual Crab Cake Cook Off at Boothbay Harbor Inn from 1 to 3 p.m. (just 50 tickets are available at https://bit.ly/2UdWhEL from 4 to 5 p.m.; Bristol Marine (Commercial St., Boothbay Harbor) offers a reception and talk about the restoration of the Ernestina-Morrissey by shipwright Ross Branch. And at 6 p.m. at Boothbay Region YMCA (Townsend Avenue) it’ll be time for the youth talent show Boothbay’s Got Talent.

Tuesday, June 29: action in Whale Park: pancake breakfast; it’s the day for Pirates of the Dark Rose mischief and mayhem, also at Whale Park; Kids Alley crafts and games; and the special Wreaths Across America exhibit.

On Wednesday, June 30: pancake breakfasts, the last day for Pirate adventures; Gathering of the Fleet, Lobster Eating Contest; Cod Fish Races, fireworks! Thursday, July 1: the Antique Boat Parade is at 3 p.m.; Wreaths Across America exhibit. On Friday, July 2: Artists’ Alley in Whale Park; Boothbay Region Historical Society opens its maritime display (through July 3); and the 17th annual Orne’s Candy Store Rock Skipping Contest is at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 3: at Edgecomb Fire Department (Route 27), there’s a pancake breakfast; then head for Boothbay Railway Village Museum (also on Route 27, in Boothbay) for Olde Village Days (https://railwayvillage.org/event/olde-village-days); and the Windjammer Days 2021 finale: the Lighted Boat Parade at 9 p.m.

Shuttles will run Tuesday, June 29 and Wednesday, June 30 starting at 8:30 a.m. leaving from Boothbay Region High School (across from the YMCA) lower parking lot every 30 minutes and, yes, there will be signage! Check out details on page 6 of the Boothbay Register’s Windjammer Days and Tall Ships guides available in local businesses and at the FWD information tent in Whale Park.

For all up-to-the-minute information and schedule changes, visit www.boothbayharborwindjammerdays.org