New London Maritime Society Presents YACHTING WEEKEND July 29-31

Yachting Weekend ? It starts this Friday - July 29, 30, 31 - & is the latest in a series of collaborative events bringing the New London Waterfront to Life

NEW LONDON'S FIRST TACC YACHTING WEEKEND BRINGS SOME OF AMERICA'S FASTEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL YACHTS TO NEW LONDON
Photographers, get your cameras ready for a dramatic concluding "Parade of Sail"

Over 100 vessels, including sailing yachts and the power boats that serve as their tenders, will moor at the USCGA or berth downtown behind the Custom House Pier for the New York Yacht Club's Summer Cruise to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy July 29-31.

The Thames America's Cup Committee, Inc.(TACC), whose mission is to promote the Thames River area as a venue for world-class yacht racing events, worked for several months to give locals and visitors a good show for this first Yachting Weekend. Vessels begin arriving this Friday night, race offshore during the day on the Saturday and depart Sunday morning in a photogenic Parade of Sail down the Thames.

"We are delighted that the New York Yacht Club will be returning to New London after an absence of 60 years when its members cruise to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy the last weekend in July," said John S. Johnson, a city businessman, NYYC member and president of TACC. "We hope people come out to enjoy the public events and view the vessels arriving and departing. We warmly welcome NYYC members and their guests to enjoy the arts, history and culture that New London has to offer."

Weekend events include:
FRIDAY

Field of Greens, The Farmer's market, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 29 Parade Plaza

Roomful of Blues, the Grammy award winning band, with a free blues dance party, 7 p.m. July 29, Parade Plaza; info at http://www.facebook.com/ParadePlazaEvents

NLart Night, a stroll from 8 to 10 p.m. July 29 of 10 different New London art galleries; info at http://www.nlart.org

SATURDAY
Nimble Arts Circus, free performances at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. July 30, Parade Plaza, Smart, sophisticated, funny, Nimble Arts Circus returns to New London's Parade Plaza, with performances at 4 and 6:30 PM. This small circus troupe from Vermont will surprise you with their internationally award-winning circus arts: trapeze, juggling, comedy, acrobatics. Prepare to be amazed!

Pride of Place: A Walking Tour of Historic Architecture in New London, designed for Yacht Club visitors who may be seeing the city for the first time, assembling at 10 a.m. July 30 at the Custom House Maritime Museum on Bank St. Sponsored by New London Landmarks. $15 per person includes a copy of the book "Pride of Place: State Street, New London." Tour, led by City Historian Sally Ryan, includes the 1784 Courthouse at the top of State Street, The Garde Arts Center, and other fine buildings, as well as a narrative of the city's history, which is closely linked to the sea.

The Custom House Maritime Museum will present a special Yachting in New London exhibition, including items from the museum's Comstock Collection.

SUNDAY

The weekend concludes July 31 with a Sunday morning Parade of Sail down the Thames River, starting at approximately 9 a.m. as the fleet departs for its next port of call.

"This will make for a rare spectacle that should be enjoyed with a morning cup of coffee in hand," says a NYYC member, USCGA graduate and former city resident. "No other yachting event in the U.S. has a more impressive collection of sail and power yachts in one place. It's a photographer's dream."

John Johnson's picks for good viewing and photography sites: Waterfront Park, Fort Trumbull and Pequot Avenue in New London, as well as along the Thames riverbank in Groton, including Eastern Point Beach.

The New London Maritime Society (NLMS)/Custom House Maritime Museum is a proud member of TACC.

Don't forget our weekly TV show
Wednesday, July 20, 5 -6 PM
Custom House Maritime Matters, on New London Metrocast cable,
channel 25. Hosted by George Sprecace. Replayed on ComCast & Thames
Valley on Fridays at 7 PM on Channel 12.
Our guests this week discuss upcoming YACHTING WEEKEND activities.

Nimble Arts Circus - this Saturday on the Parade
Smart, sophisticated, funny, Nimble Arts Circus returns to New London's Parade Plaza this Saturday, July 30, with FREE performances at 4 & 6:30 PM.
This small circus troupe from Vermont will surprise you with their internationally award-winning circus arts: trapeze, juggling, comedy, acrobatics. Prepare to be amazed!

Take a Juggling Workshop with artists from Nimble Arts!
Saturday, July 30, before the performance, from 2-3 PM. Only $15, all materials provided. Space is limited. Call 860-447-2501 to register.

It's all part of New London Yachting Weekend - this event brought to you by the Custom House Maritime Museum, Thames America's Cup Committee (TACC), New London Water Authority, & City of New London -- working together to bring New London's Waterfront to LIFE!

& this Friday, July 29, at 7 PM FREE on Parade Plaza
They are in a class by themselves ... --Downbeat Magazine.

Everybody's favorite band, ROOMFUL OF BLUES plays for FREE on New London's Parade Plaza during the Blues & Yachting Weekend!
This Friday, July 29, at 7 PM.

Roomful of Blues has ...swagger, sway and swing with energy and precision. --The Chicago Sun Times.

Since 1967, the group's blend of swing, rock and roll, jump blues, boogie-woogie and soul has earned five Grammy Award nominations and seven Blues Music Awards nominations, receiving Blues Band Of The Year in 2005.

...wall-to-wall grooves... between the wicked guitar work and the brassy horn section, things never stop swinging. --USA Today

Opening with John Fries and the Heat. http://www.facebook.com/ParadePlazaEvents

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