The 63rd Windjammer Days – a week full of events and spectacles – has ended with lots of memories of fun and hard work. Friends of Windjammer Days, made up of lots of volunteers, is to be commended for putting together another great festival.

It always helps if the weather cooperates and this year, despite the heat wave and the rain knocking out the Tug Across the Harbor and the Servers Shuffle events on Saturday, there were no downpours or socked-in fog the rest of the week. The Blessing of the Fleet, Parade of Sail and the Street Parade were three of the big events spared of bad weather. 

Congratulations to the U.S. Coast Guard who were the honorees of this year’s festival. Our region has been protected by this military branch for many years and the Friends did a good job of featuring our local retired and active members over the past few months and during the festival.

Our staff also worked hard covering the events and we are always appreciative of Mike Leonard’s contributions to our coverage. His annual Windjammer Days Photo Cruise through the Balmy Days Cruises has been popular and a welcome addition to the festival. For a few years, we always had to find a boat to send our photographers out to get shots of the boats sailing into the harbor. Now we just send our photographer – the ever-steady and talented Steve Edwards – out on Leonard’s cruise.

We hope you have enjoyed our coverage online and in this issue. We are already looking forward to next year’s event. Mark your calendars for June 21-27, 2026.

Again, great job, Friends of Windjammer Days!