by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Organizers behind Sail Jacksonville 2004 say they expect a lot of excitement when the event kicks off June 11.
Honorary event chair and City Council member Lynette Self said a dozen tall ships — three times as many as last year — will be docked along both the North and South banks of the St. Johns River.
“It’s a very exciting time as we get closer to executing Sail Jacksonville this year,” she said. “There’s a lot of interest surrounding what we’ve been able to put together and that’s wonderful. It really is.”
According to the City’s Special Events Department, which is organizing the festival, more than 150,000 spectators are expected to attend.
“It takes time, but like what the Jazz Festival has been able to do, we hope to see this grow more and more each year,” she said. “We want to establish it as one of the premier events held in Jacksonville.”
Self and event chair Gary Anderson said several activities and competitions have been planned.
“One of the more entertaining things happening is a boat building contest,” said Anderson. “What we do is give teams, made up of two people, the same tools and supplies.”
Anderson said the teams — they are required to pay an entry fee — will be given four hours to construct and decorate a vessel.
“The next day we put them in the water and see which ones float,” he said. “Then they race.”
Anderson said the public is also welcome to tour the tall ships and the Jacksonville Port Authority facilities.
“There’s a lot going on, but one of the things we’re most excited about is that we’re going to be one of the stops on the American Sail Training Association’s Tall Ships Challenge,” he said. “That’s one of the main reasons Sail Jacksonville is going to be so much larger than last year.”
Anderson and Self said the race, which spans three months while moving up the East Coast, occurs every four years and will likely coincide with Sail Jacksonville.
“We’re sure the festival is going to go very smoothly,” said Self. “We’ve taken care of everything we needed to, and we’ve had no problems or special concerns.
“We can’t wait to see it unfold because the City is really going to enjoy it.”