Calais Maine Events

Calais Bicentennial Celebration offers two trips along the St. Croix River and across the Passamaquoddy Bay on a historic sailing vessel. Sunrise Sail” Eastport to Calais and “Sunset Sail” Calais to Eastport

The 84 foot two-masted wooden schooner Sylvina Beal, built in 1911, will board up to 48 passengers in Eastport  very early on Friday morning, July 31 and is scheduled to  leave the dock at 5:00 AM and sail with the incoming tide and the sun rising across Passamaquoddy Bay and up the scenic St. Croix River all the way to Calais. There will be one stop at Robbinston Landing allowing some passengers to board.

The departure from Robbinston is scheduled for 6:30 AM, the vessel will pass St. Croix Island about 7:00 AM. Arrival Time in Calais at the Town Dock will be at about 8:00 AM. This “Sunrise Sail“ should be a spectacular nature adventure as well as an opportunity to step back into history and to experience a different way to travel, the way people and goods got to Calais before there were roads or highways.

The “Sunset Sail” will board passengers in Calais and the Sylvina Beal will leave the Town Dock at 7:00 PM and sail with the beginning of the ebb tide down the St. Croix River back to Eastport. Again only 48  passengers will have a chance to enjoy our beautiful river and the coastline  of the bay in the horizontal light of the setting sun at the end of a long summer day. Some form of narration and live entertainment is planned to point out the historic significance of this once so vital waterway, which has seen canoes and rafts in the early times long before the European discoverers arrived. Soon after the potential of this navigable waterway became known many sloops, schooners and larger sailing ships started to bring settlers and supplies and soon sawmills produced enough lumber to turn a little town into an important lumber port, ship building town and a thriving commercial center. Those days are gone, but the river is still here.

The City of Calais will provide free bus service for all passengers who need transportation to return to the point of departure  and for those who need to retrieve their car. The bus will leave from Calais City Hall at 10:00 AM for Eastport and at 10:30 PM from Eastport City Pier for Calais.

Tickets are $ 40,00 per person at the dock. $ 35.00 advance sale tickets are available at the Calais Bookshop, 405 Main St. Calais 454 1110 and at the Eastport Windjammers office 104 Water St. Eastport. 853 2500

In case of cancellation because of weather conditions tickets will be refunded.
For information call Alex Markhoff 454-8281 or Fred Becker 454-3695
One word of advice for all passengers, to be comfortable, bring a jacket or sweater, the temperature on the water can be much cooler than on land.

If you can’t be a passenger this time, you might want to join us down at the City Dock to welcome the arrival of the schooner Sylvina Beal.

The concert band from Calais High School is inviting any interested Calais alumni or residents to join them during the July 31 Bicentennial at Veteran’s Memorial Park. Teacher Alison Brennan will send the music for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Armed Forces Medley,” “This is My Country” and “God Bless America” to any interested musician. Interested musicians are asked to practice and attend a rehearsal at 6 PM July 30th and then take part in the ceremony the next day. Dress for the event is navy-blue short-sleeved shirt or T-shirt and nice blue jeans. Musicians will need their own instrument and lyre. Musicians who don’t have lyres may purchase one from Brennan. The band has 48 members in grades 7 through 12. For information, call Brennan at 454-2591 or in the evening at 454-8822.