Special evening reception at Ocean Beach Park, New London on Sunday, July 8th to cap-off historic event
New London, CT – June 6, 2012 – OpSail2012 Connecticut will host a special Captains’ Ball on Sunday, July 8th at Port ‘N’ Starboard at Ocean Beach Park in New London.
The OpSail Captains’ Ball will recognize and thank the hundreds of crewmembers, officers, and sailors who participated in the historic three-day OpSail2012 Connecticut celebration. The event begins with a cocktail reception at 6:00 p.m., followed by three-course dinner
Tickets for The OpSail Captains’ Ball are $75/person
and may be purchased in one of four ways: visit www.OpSail2012CT.org; contact Robin Goldschlager at The Gallery at Firehouse Square at (860)443-0344, contact OpSail Headquarters at (860)447-2519 or by contacting New London Main Street at (860) 444-2489.
“This will be a great evening and a terrific way to end what will have been a colorful and exciting weekend of tall ship visits, historical and cultural exhibitions and entertainment at Fort Trumbull,” said John S. Johnson, the chairman of OpSail2012CT. “I encourage all who is interested to get their tickets early. This will be an event not to be missed.”
OpSail2012 Connecticut will take place in New London Harbor July 6-9, 2012 and feature a parade of tall ships, led by the U.S. Coast Guard Barque EAGLE. The parade will include U.S Navy and Coast Guard ships, Brazil’s Cisne Branco, Schooner Wolf from Key West, Florida; Schooner Meerwald from Jersey City, New Jersey; Appledore V from Bay City, Michigan; Spirit from Essex, Connecticut; and Brilliant and Argia from Mystic, Connecticut.
Also, Freedom Schooner Amistad from Mystic, Conn., Ticondaroga from Greenwich, Conn.; Tyrone from Chatham, Mass.; and New Horizons from Boston, Mass.; as well as the sea scallop harvester Regulus from Stonington, Conn.
New London’s is the last in a series of OpSail port visits has been organized nationally by Operation Sail in cooperation with the United States Navy to commemorate the Bicentennial of the War of 1812, a war that gave America its national anthem.
The first naval engagement of the war took place in waters off New London. The war also included a number of subsequent naval engagements along the Connecticut shoreline, including battles in Stonington and Essex. At Essex, the British burned more than two-dozen American ships, the largest single loss of American ships in a single naval engagement up until Pearl Harbor.
OpSail2012 Connecticut will take place alongside New London’s SailFest, an annual tradition for three decades, and in cooperation with the town of East Lyme. The tall ships are scheduled to arrive in the town’s village of Niantic on July 6 to prepare for the next day’s Parade of Sail into New London Harbor.
The public will be allowed to visit these majestic vessels at State Pier, City Pier and Fort Trumbull in New London. There will be entertainment and a food festival in downtown New London, along with historical and cultural activities, including encampments and reenactments at Fort Trumbull overlooking the mouth of the Thames River. All ship visits and events are free to the general public—as is parking in satellite lots.
Additional information about OpSail2012 Connecticut is available at www.OpSail2012CT.org.
About Ocean Beach Park
Located at the foot of Ocean Avenue in Mystic Country, Ocean Beach Park provides excellent public access to the Atlantic Ocean from a beautiful white, sugar sand beach, complimented by an Olympic-size freshwater pool, lockers, and event staging. The 50-acre Park also boasts a beautifully landscaped 18-hole miniature golf course and various other attractions, including the newly renovated Pilot House and Nautilus banquet rooms, each with access to an Ocean View Deck, the new Boardwalk Café Food Court, and a Nature Walk with Bird Watching observation Deck. Other amenities include a triple water slide, carousel and amusement rides, ice cream and snack stands, game room, gift shop, Work Out World Health Club, and new playground areas. The 8,000-square-foot Port ‘N Starboard is one of the area’s largest year-round gourmet banquet facilities, catering parties from 30 to 1200 guests.
AboutOpSail2012CT
OpSail2012CT pays homage to Connecticut’s rich maritime history and significant milestones in American history. Held in Niantic and New London Harbor July 6-9, 2012, the event is part of a national observance of the War of 1812’s bicentenary, the war that gave us the Star-Spangled Banner. There will be a history and culture presentation and entertainment at Fort Trumbull along with free ship visits. Participating ships arrive in Niantic on Friday, July 6, and the next morning form a Parade of Sail to New London Harbor. OpSail2012CT also includes Sailfest, southeastern Connecticut's premiere summertime event featuring a major fireworks display, amusement rides, free
entertainment downtown New London. More information is available at www.OpSail2012CT.org and www.sailfest.org. Connect with us on facebook.com/OpSail2012CT, follow us
on twitter.com/OpSailCT2012
